


Bewitching

by MidnightLoveStories



Series: Bewitching Universe [1]
Category: Addams Family - All Media Types, The Addams Family (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Committed Relationship, Dark Magic, Developing Relationship, Drama & Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Dynamics, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Light BDSM, Love, Love at First Sight, Marriage, Minor Violence, Parent-Child Relationship, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-06-09 08:37:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 151,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15263619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightLoveStories/pseuds/MidnightLoveStories
Summary: An AU story. Gomez Addams and Morticia Frump meet at the funeral and instantly fall in love, changing their lives and those around them forever. But life is not just lovely thorns and singing vultures as they are about to find out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:
> 
> This is very much an AU story with elements from both movies and tv show. This is M rated story (this is Gomez and Morticia we're talking about after all) and please take the rating seriously. All children look away.
> 
> I hope you will have as much fun reading as I had writing it. Enjoy!
> 
> I own nothing besides the plot and any characters you do not recognize.

**Chapter 1**

Mortimer J. Frump never once considered himself a man prone to dramatics. Indeed, throughout all his adult life, the patriarch of the Frump household prided himself with his ability to tackle whatever life has thrown at him with an incredible amount of calm, patience and logic. His responses were seldom reactionary - he pondered, he analyzed, he weighed all pros and cons until he arrived at the best course of action and that has always been his best asset. He was extremely slow to anger.  _Nothing_  could shake his nerves. Nothing. His serene, balanced approach worked perfectly well even when his wife blessed him with two beautiful daughters who, in their own respective ways, were hell-bent on giving their poor father a coronary at regular intervals.

However, when Mr Frump woke up today on this hot, July morning and the sun was shining and the birds were chirping, he knew right there and then it was going to be a miserable day. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the utter cataclysm that has descended upon him during, what initially seemed to be, a perfectly ordinary family dinner.

And so, Mr. Frump - no longer calm and stoic - found himself seething silently as he nursed the biggest glass of brandy of his entire life, sitting alone in the parlour, staring into an empty fireplace and trying, very hard and very unsuccessfully, to calm his shattered nerves at the news his youngest daughter delivered to them almost three blasted hours ago.

Engaged.

His darling, quiet little girl announced, in her perfectly smooth, soft voice that she was engaged.

Engaged!

What the hell?!

This was certainly not how he planned this summer to go. Not at all. He was so excited that Morticia was finally home for the summer holidays from her schooling in Paris, where she's been living now for 3 years with her paternal aunt, Mabel. Mr Frump was delighted at the prospect of spending the whole summer with his offspring, whom he missed dearly while she was away. But alas!

In some bizarre reality, his brilliant, beautiful, raven-haired daughter managed to meet, fall in love and get engaged, all in a space of four hours - and at the funeral of the son of their dear family friend, Harold Addams's eldest boy, Balthazar. Who would have thought that the Addams family would ever be the reason for his current, miserable predicament?

Worse yet, there was no reasoning with his youngest daughter who seemed to have lost all common sense over the Addams boy - a boy, ha!

At 29, Gomez Addams was hardly a boy, almost ten years older than his 21 year - old child.

Mortimer growled into his brandy at the very thought. He simply could not get his greying head around it. Morticia was barely old enough to legally purchase alcohol in this country and yet, there she was - apparently getting married.

It was so uncharacteristic for Morticia to lose her head over a man. He always expected, and indeed was well prepared, such shenanigans from his older daughter, Ophelia, who fell in love with an alarming frequency, at least four times a year. Not Morticia. Not Morticia, who immersed herself in her books and studies, who was merely amused by all the attention she received from the opposite sex. She turned down every single marriage proposal over the last three years and then, suddenly, out of the blue she declares her engagement to a man she met less than 24 hours ago. It was bizarre, it was unthinkable. He could not get his head around it.

Worse yet, was the fact that his darling wife was - to his utter horror, delighted at the prospect of their daughter marrying an Addams, as was Mr Frump's sister Mabel and his oldest daughter, Ophelia.

Although initially surprised, they all practically glowed upon hearing the news. All of them seemed to have lost their goddamn minds. Mortimer Frump stormed away from the dining room shortly after hearing the news and have been sitting in the parlour, drowning in his distress ever since.

So engrossed was Mr Frump in his misery, over the prospect of the upcoming nuptials of his youngest child, that he didn't seem to notice his wife entering the parlour, followed by his younger sister Mabel, even when both of them ended up standing right in front of him. Or, well, he rather conveniently chose to ignore them.

"Look at him," his wife had the nerve to smile at him mockingly. "Pretending not to notice us. Isn't he adorable?"

He was married to a heartless harpy, he had no doubt about it.

His sister was equally unsympathetic.

"Mortimer J. Frump," she regarded him sternly, putting both of her hands on her slim hips."You quit this ridiculous, petty behaviour  _this_  instant."

Mr Frump huffed into his brandy without looking up and took a big gulp of the golden brown liquid.

Mabel looked at her sister-in-law exasperatedly.

"Darling," Mrs Frump started gently, sitting on the arm of the burgundy leather armchair currently occupied by her sulking husband, placing a comforting hand on his stiff shoulder. "You have been brooding here for three straight hours, this is not at all like you. Admittedly, Morticia's engagement came as a surprise, but darling… this is…"

"A surprise, ha!" Mr Frump groused, gripping his glass of brandy so tightly his wife was sure it will shatter. "Have you all lost your minds? She barely knows the man!"

"Well, what better way to get acquainted?"Retorted Mabel obnoxiously, pouring herself a generous tumbler of her favourite whiskey.

Mrs Frump saw her husband's eyes widen in shock and he almost spat his brandy at the suggestion.

"Gomez Addams is a cad and a womanizer!" he bellowed.

"So were you, my dear brother," retorted his sister ever so calmly. "And yet, here you are - a dedicated, loving husband and a doting father."

"That's different!" he scoffed.

"How?"

Mr Frump opened his mouth with every intention of pointing out the many differences between himself and the young Addams, but annoyingly his mind refused to supply him with a single one.

"He's too old for her," he said instead, frowning as both ladies snorted inelegantly at the suggestion. Setting his brandy aside, Mr Frump crossed his arms in a childish gesture. It took all of his willpower not to stomp his foot.

"My dear, it means a lot to our daughter to have your blessing," his wife's gentle voice informed him."However, do not fool yourself into thinking that there's any way persuading her against this marriage, she's simply smitten with the boy."

"Smitten! Hester, dear, she's barely met him yesterday!" He spat.

"It's just too romantic!" His sister sighed happily as she sat, in a love seat opposite him sipping her whiskey calmly with that annoying, dreamy look on her face.

The sheer audacity of that woman!

"Either way," his wife continued taking the brandy off his hand and helping herself to a generous drink. "I have invited the Addamses for lunch tomorrow."

"You what?!"

"To make it official," his sister supplied in a matter of fact voice. "So you, dear brother, better get yourself together. Your dramatics really upset the poor child, she's beside herself in her room, probably crying her precious eyes out."

Mr Frump raised his eyebrows sceptically, yet his body language seemed to soften at her words even though he suspected she was vastly exaggerating… he had seen his precious daughter cry only a handful of times, last time was when she was 11 years-old and her pet tarantula died.

"Besides," his sister continued leaning comfortably into the love seat while twirling one of her waist-long, greying tendrils around her right, index finger. "The Addams are well known and highly respected family. Why, Mrs Addams happens to be Hester's old school friend  _and_ a brilliant witch" she smiled happily. "If anything, Morticia is going to be well-looked after...which is more than we can ever hope for our dear Ophelia, God helps her," she finished muttering more to herself than her brother who seemed to hear it anyway, judging by the way he was frowning at her. Mabel shrugged her shoulders but smiled apologetically winking at her annoyed looking brother.

The trio fell into a semi-comfortable silence. Hester smiling contemptibly at her sister-in-law over her husband's greying head. She might not have the closest relationship with her youngest daughter, but she knew her well enough to realize that when Morticia Frump put her mind into something, there was no stopping her. Naturally, she understood her husband's concerns, for the young Addams  _was_ indeed a cad and a womanizer, but if there was a woman who could ever bewitch Gomez Addams, it was Morticia Frump - of that, Hester was sure.

She smirked at her thoughts, placing a loving kiss on her troubled husband's temple.

Mr Frump looked up moodily, meeting his wife's cobalt blue eyes, a small smiled ghosted his lips as he took her hand and placed a soft kiss on her smooth wrist.

"That bloody Castilian Don Juan bewitched her," he muttered unconvincingly, just for the hell of it.

Next to him, Hester snorted in amusement."Oh, my darling. If anyone has done any bewitching at all, I can assure you it was certainly  _not_ the bloody Castilian."

"Well," he sighed."I guess I have no choice, but to capitulate to my daughter's decision," he stated simply.

Nevertheless, Mr Frump allowed a gentle smirk to cross his handsome features. He could not say he was happy about any of it but was comforted by the knowledge that if Gomez bloody Addams ever hurt his precious baby, he would not live long enough to tell the tale.

His darling, raven-haired witch would make sure of that.

* * *

Eudora Addams squinted her eyes in annoyance as she brought her old, frayed and heavy potion book closer. The golden bracelets on her wrists jiggled as she slowly turned the yellowed page, muttering list of ingredients to herself. She had to admit her eyesight was not what it used to be, but she resisted the idea of getting herself a pair of spectacles for it would equal to admitting that she was, indeed, getting old. Still, for a fifty-two-year-old witch and a mother of two sons, one of whom took off to devil knows where and the other seemed to be insisting on wasting his life away gambling, whoring and drinking to the early hours of the morning, she looked bloody well marvellous, thank you very much.

Frowning in concentration, Eudora Addams picked up an eye of a green frog with her long, sharp nails and gently dropped it into a small, bubbling cauldron without taking her eyes off the book. It was one of the most diabolically complicated potions a witch could brew and it will take months to complete.

_Add seven grams of powdered claws of a Romanian dragon..._

_Romanian_   _dragon_. She made her way to the vast wall of shelves, where various bottles with ingredients were stored. She picked a small, violet bottle and shook it gently. Another frown crossed her olive forehead when the bottle produced no sound. She bit her lips as she struggled for a few seconds with the cork until it gave up with a gentle pop and Eudora peered inside.

"Goddamn it all to hell! I was sure I had some left."

"Problem, mother?" An amused, gentle voice behind her asked.

Eudora Addams sighed at the prospect of yet another delay in brewing the potion, but gave her son a happy smile, always pleased to see her darling rascal. She was surprised to see him - at home and seemingly sober, no less. Since that disastrous debacle with Fester eight years ago, she barely saw her youngest son at home. Indeed, first he shipped off to Britain, studying law at Oxford, and nowadays he seemed to revert to constantly cruising from one seedy bar to another, gambling, drinking, womanizing, trying unsuccessfully to subdue the guilt over his brother's disappearance that was consistently consuming him. It worried her tremendously and angered her husband. Not a day passed without Salvador Addams giving Gomez a piece of his mind. This usually followed with Gomez storming out of the house and coming back at the crack of dawn, smelling of cigars, alcohol and women's perfume.

"Darling," she said softly, returning an empty, violet bottle back to the shelf. Dusting her hands off against her deep green, silk dress she made her way towards her son. She smiled and placed a soft kiss on his forehead "I didn't know you were at home."

Gomez smiled brightly taking her right hand in both of his, bent down to kiss her knuckles lightly. His mother patted his cheek affectionately but eyed him curiously.

There was something different about him, Eudora thought. The tension in his body was gone, he seemed excited and, dare she hope...happy.

"Mother, I need to speak to you urgently," he said fervently."You and father both."

She regarded him with a worried look and smiled uneasily as if sensing upcoming trouble.

"Well then," she said carefully."Let me ring for Lurch to get him, I believe he's still in the library tending to some business matter," she explained as she pulled a heavy rope dangling from the ceiling.

The Addams mansion shook at its core and not two seconds later, nearly seven feet tall butler materialized behind her.

"You rang, Mrs Addams?"

"Yes, Lurch. Would you please fetch Mr Addams for us? Gomez has some urgent matter to discuss."

"Yes, Mrs Addams," Lurch answered with a polite growl.

Once they were alone again, Eudora smiled encouragingly at her son and she turned back to her book trying to act as nonchalant as was humanly possible.

"So…" she prompted." What's this urgent matter?" In case the urgent news would turn up to be an urgent headache she wanted to be prepared before her husband got here.

As if reading her thoughts, Gomez laughed heartily.

"It's nothing bad, mother," he sighed happily and gave a dramatic pause before continuing."In fact, quite the opposite -I'm getting married!"

He almost felt his mother's body stiffen at the news as she slowly straightened her posture and turned to face him. God, even her olive skin got pale.

"Married?"She swallowed." Oh, darling, please don't tell me you got some girl pregnant, your father will go ballistic."

Her son grimaced at the suggestion. He was not all that surprised by her less than enthusiastic reaction. By God, with his despicable behaviour these last few years he knew he deserved it."No, no mama, no one's pregnant," he responded calmly leaning against the kitchen table. He took a cigar from his breast pocket and put it in between his teeth. "At least not by me."

Mrs Addams relaxed visibly and breathed out in relief, her face graced with an expectant smile. She flicked her fingers and a wooden spoon proceeded to stir the bubbling mixture inside the cauldron as Mrs Addams made her way across the kitchen to stand in front of her son. She crossed her arms expectantly.

"Well then?"

Gomez inhaled the cigar smoke as he took in her tired appearance. The stress and worry of the last few years took a visible toll on her beautiful face. Her waist long, black hair had more than few tresses of grey in them. At 5'2, his mother looked thinner than he ever remembered her and incredibly fragile. Gomez felt a miserable guilt raising in his heart as he looked at his mother's kind face, her anxious, emerald green eyes, knowing he was the primary cause of her many worries. He swallowed heavily and forced himself to banish the misery from his heart.

"Mama, I have met the most wonderful creature," he said passionately grabbing his mother's arms gently and closed his eyes briefly, smiling to himself. "Most sublime being."

His mother bit her lips gently and raised an eyebrow looking him straight in the eyes, clearly amused by his words when a stern voice behind him bellowed:

"Is he drunk again?!"

Salvador Arias Addams, the charming but imposing head of the Addams family, stood at the top of the kitchen stairs, his posture commanding, left hand in his pocket and an ever-present cigar in his right.

Eudora always marvelled how alike her husband and the youngest son were, not only in looks but also in character. With the exception of his father's greying goatee beard, Gomez was a carbon copy of Salvador.

Mr Addams, dressed in an elegant, deep blue pinstripe suit, complete with a black silk shirt and cravat was over 6 feet tall and presented, much like his youngest son, a curious mixture of strikingly handsome features, self-assurance, and a devil-may-care attitude. It suited him. It suited both of them.

Mrs Addams smiled affectionately at her husband as he made his way to stand next to her and placed his strong hand on her left hip. His dark, half-lidded eyes focused on his youngest son immediately.

"He doesn't look drunk," he stated pointing his cigar at Gomez.

Gomez resisted an urge to roll his eyes."I am not drunk, father."

"He's not, dear," confirmed Mrs Addams as she looked up her husband face, placing her soft, covered with various golden rings, hand over his broad chest placatingly.

"Gomez has some interesting news."

Mr Addams snorted and placed his cigar back in his mouth.

"You don't say," he said sarcastically, but when Gomez stayed silent he added in an annoyed tone: "Well then son, what  _is_ this news?"

Gomez felt an annoyance sweep through him at his father's mocking tone and looked briefly at his mother who smiled at him encouragingly.

"I'm getting married, father."

His father arched his brows and slowly removed the cigar from his mouth.

"Married," he laughed condescendingly. "Who, in their right mind, would agree to marry you, son?" He asked and immediately felt his wife pinch him in his side. Hard. He glared at her and she pinched him again.

However, Gomez laughed heartily and his father's question.

"Oh, father. The most enchanting, breathtakingly beautiful black orchid," he said dreamily, placing his hand over his heart.

Mr Addams blinked and turned to his wife with a questionable look but all she offered was a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Black  _Orchid_?" Salvador repeated slowly.

"Indeed."

"Talk sense, boy," he demanded. "Who is she?"

Gomez grinned proudly before replying: "Mrs Frump's enchanting daughter, father," he said finally, biting his lips as if he just tasted the most divine wine and cyanide in his collection.

His parents looked startled and he saw their eyes blink in confusion and suddenly widen in alarm as they looked at each other with, what he thought, was nothing less than pure disbelief.

"Son, you're… you cannot be serious," his mother stuttered and her eyes widened in surprise. Fester disappearance must have affected him more than they suspected. Eudora's eyes shifted alarmingly from her son to her husband.

"Oh my, here's a match made in heaven," Mr Addams added ironically but furrowed his brows as he took in his son's confused look.

"What?" Gomez frowned at his parents, completely bewildered by their reaction.

"Ophelia?" His mother asked."Hester's daughter? Ophelia. Really, Gomez? Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Gods no!" Gomez laughed shaking his head."Not Ophelia."

Eudora frowned in confusion and bit one of her long nails thoughtfully….and then it dawned on her. Black Orchid… surely he doesn't mean... Hester's youngest daughter! What was her name?

Morticia!

Oh... _Oh!_  thank heavens.

She sighed in relief and smiled at her still an utterly confused husband. She completely forgot that the girl was back in town for the summer holidays. Hector even mentioned that Frumps paid their respects yesterday and Eudora was disappointed to miss her old childhood friend whom she hadn't seen for years now.

The last time she'd seen her, Morticia she was no older than thirteen. She remembered beautiful, pale and sullen child with raven braids who spoke little and seemed to spend all days in her father's vast library reading voraciously - unconcerned, that her mother poured almost all of her attention at her older sister Ophelia, who at the age of sixteen was already causing them hell of a lot of headache, constantly getting in trouble at school, hanging around with members of society of rather questionable reputation...which is, incidentally, how Ophelia got acquainted with Gomez Addams in the first place. They both had very little regard for their reputation.

"Gomez," she prompted cautiously, wanting to hear the confirmation from his own lips.

"Her name is Morticia, mother," he answered with a blissful gleam in his eyes and his face brightened at the mere thought that this enchanting creature has agreed to marry him. He felt unworthy of such a splendid luck.

Apparently, his father shared his thoughts.

"Wait... Hold on a minute, Morticia Frump?" He asked in disbelief looking at his son and his wife for confirmation and they both nodded enthusiastically. "The daughter of Doctor Mortimer J. Frump?"

"The very same," Gomez confirmed proudly.

"And she  _agreed_  to marry you?"

Gomez nodded getting progressively annoyed at his father shocked expression.

"And her father is  _okay_  with that?"He prodded in disbelief.

At this, Gomez seemed to wince slightly. He moved his hand through his pomaded hair in a nervous gesture.

"Well...I...I haven't had a chance to ask him yet," he admitted sheepishly. "I've just met her yesterday, after all."

"Ye...yesterday?!" His father exclaimed."Where, in the devil, have you met her?"

"At Bar's funeral, of course."

He heard her mother inhale sharply.

"Oh, well isn't that in a poor taste, darling," she said appalled."After all, you're still a suspect. One simply does not get engaged at one's cousin's funeral when one's a suspect in said cousin's murder investigation. Where are your manners?"

However, to his wife's dismay, Mr Addams seemed to be delighted at the sheer audacity of his youngest son.

"You rascal," he laughed and gave his son a hearty pat on the back. "Your Castilian blood courses through your veins so gloriously," he added proudly. "Still, this simply won't do, my son. You must honour this girl properly, meet with her father and present her with an engagement ring worthy of the future Mrs Addams."

Before Gomez could agree, they heard a low growl behind them and the trio turned around to see Lurch standing in the door.

"A telephone call for Mrs Addams," he said slowly. "Mrs Hester Frump."

Gomez and Salvador looked at Eudora expectantly.

"Oh my," she smiled, clasping her hands together, her golden bracelets jingling at the sudden motion."This is escalating quickly!" She beamed at both Addams men and practically zoomed through the kitchen to answer the telephone, giving Lurch a quick thank you in passing. Her potion entirely forgotten.

Both father and son gave each other a quick glance before following Mrs Addams to the parlour. As they arrived, she was talking excitedly on the phone, twirling the cord around her fingers. She noticed them and waved for them to come closer.

"Yes, of course, it is, Hester, my dear. We shall see you tomorrow. Goodbye, darling," she said and replaced the receiver. She turned suddenly to face both men and smiled wickedly. "Mrs Frump has just called to invite all of us for lunch tomorrow. That sweet girl already told them about the engagement," she smirked and Gomez through her eyes gleamed in hardly concealed, vicious amusement. "Mr Frump is livid."

* * *

It was raining all morning, but despite that, the air was still hot and stuffy which made the temperature in the conservatory particularly unpleasant.

Dressed in her black, silk robe Morticia Frump picked up a bowl of freshly cooked hamburgers and gently cut a small piece off with a silver fork. A long, green plant tried to snatch the meat off immediately, but Morticia pulled her hand away quickly, entirely expecting her baby's impatient behaviour.

"Now, now Cleopatra," she cooed at the plant."You know you get terrible indigestion when you rush your food."

The African Strangled bowed sheepishly and Morticia smiled at her affectionately.

"Here you go, my darling," she offered a piece of hamburger to the plant and it devoured it instantly. "Don't gulp."

"Morticia!"

Morticia rolled her eyes and turned briefly at her mother's voice, but did not reply. Her mother was unbearably frantic with preparations for upcoming lunch with the Addamses. As much as Morticia longed to see her darling fiancé again, there was only so much of her mother's excitement she was able to bear. Oh, and was she excited! The prospect of her daughter marrying into the Addams clan made her ecstatic, to say the least, her father though... not so much. Morticia didn't know what was ultimately worse, her mother's frantic behaviour or her father's brooding.

"Your mother is looking for you," her father said gently standing next to her awkwardly. They haven't spoken a word to each other since he stormed off from the dining room yesterday upon hearing the news of her engagement to Gomez Addams. It made Morticia anxious enough to decide to skip family breakfast altogether. Mr Frump inhaled deeply and looked at his daughter thoughtfully as if considering where to start.

"Papa," she started instead but he raised his palm to stop whatever she wanted to say.

"I owe you an apology, my dear," he said finally. "I shouldn't have stormed off like that, I… I overreacted...it's just," he paused briefly and looked at her sadly. "I did not expect it at all."

Morticia smiled understandingly.

"I know, Papa, neither did I," she whispered as she cut another piece of a hamburger to feed to Cleopatra."I know... it seems all too sudden, but…' she hesitated and bit her lips thoughtfully, contemplating how could she possibly explain to her father the magnitude of her feelings for Gomez? How her heart ceased beating the moment their eyes fell upon one another and then when it started beating again she felt as if it was now beating only for him? How could she describe how powerless she was over her feelings because from the moment she tasted his lips upon hers Gomez Addams became her entire life?

She set a crystal bowl and fork aside and turned to her father taking his strong hands and wrapping her long, pale fingers around his.

"Papa, you mustn't be angry with me," she said insistently."You must trust me, I have never felt so strongly about anyone. I...I can't live my life without Gomez in it, "she admitted and Mr Frump was shocked to hear such a surrender in her soft voice.

He put his hand gently on the back of her head and brought her closer to him. Morticia smiled and put her head on her father's broad chest.

"Ah, my little witch," he said placing a soft kiss on her temple."It scares me when you speak like that."

Morticia wanted to tell him that it scared her as well, the suddenness and the sheer intensity of her feelings for Gomez, but she said nothing and instead hugged her father closer.

They were interrupted by the sudden noise behind them.

"There you are!" Her sister huffed as she stopped at the entrance to the conservatory, her daisies bouncing on her head vivaciously."Why are you not getting ready?" She asked and without waiting for an answer and paying no mind to her father she grabbed Morticia's hand and dragged her out of the conservatory."Mama is going crazy, she's so frenzied and enthusiastic it's making Mabel nauseous."

Forty-nine minutes later, Morticia was bathed and seated at her dressing table, in front of a cracked, marred mirror, her makeup already in place, she was patiently waiting for Ophelia to finish curling the ends of her black, silky hair.

Ophelia caught her sister's look in the mirror and smiled affectionately.

"I'm almost done," she placated for even though her sister made no obvious sign of impatience, Ophelia noticed a slight stiffness in her posture and could not miss the way Morticia unknowingly played with her long, red vermilion nails. "You look lovely, Tish."

Morticia smiled appreciatively.

"Thank you, Ophelia."

The two sisters were always the polar opposite, but thankfully it never affected the way they loved and looked after each other. Ophelia - a whirlwind of energy, always enthusiastic and friendly… Almost too friendly, if her reputation was anything to go by, she looked very much like their beautiful mother, with an angelic face and long, blond tresses and the most captivating cobalt blue eyes. She was bold, but sweet and caring as well, and all too well aware of the enchanting effect she had on people, particularly men. Ophelia loved men and loved their attention and she felt unapologetic about the reputation it gave her, even though most rumours about her promiscuity were vastly exaggerated. Nevertheless, her cavalier attitude towards her own reputation never failed to give their poor parents near coronary.

Morticia on the other hand, was mostly quiet, keeping to herself, immersed in a fascinating world of books and witchcraft. She was very scholastically inclined, diligent in her studies and it has paid off as she was already regarded as one of the most talented witches of her generation, due to start her master degree in the Dark Arts at the French Institute of Magic this Fall. Just as her older sister, she had a talent for languages, already speaking fluent French, Latin and Russian. Morticia was also fascinated by history and literature, the more gruesome the better.

Although she wasn't as open in her relationships as Ophelia, Morticia didn't consider herself to be a prude. She enjoyed parties and company of gorgeous men, they all adored her and would do practically anything to have the ebony-haired enchantress in their bed, but Morticia didn't do half measures.

Sex, as appealing as it was, was not enough for her. She wanted something deeper - love and passion and eternal commitment. Hence her relationships, although a pleasant pastime, were usually short-lived. That, however, did not stop various male specimens from pursuing her affections, in a usual way men enjoyed perusing something they thought of to be an enticing challenge and there was no denying that winning Morticia's affections  _was_  indeed a challenge.

Ophelia often laughed at her hopeless romanticism, but Morticia couldn't help it. She was, admittedly, a hopelessly romantic witch. Yet, she knew in the bottom of her heart that Gomez Addams was an embodiment of everything she ever dreamed of and more.

"Here, all done,"Ophelia smiled gently as she expertly finished curling her sister's hair. "I'm sure Mr Addams will appreciate" she winked.

Morticia felt a slight blush creeping up her neck at the mention of her fiancé. She struggled to deal with all those unfamiliar emotions the handsome Castilian has awakened in her. She still felt her lips tingling at the memory of the hot kisses they shared in the graveyard. She swallowed heavily and chose to focus on her appearance instead, for even reminiscing the kiss made her feel hot all over and her hands shake. Willing herself to look in the mirror she turned her head left and right examining her sister's work.

"It's perfect, Ophelia, thank you" she smiled at her sister, who in turn smirked knowingly.

"I can't believe you're getting married,"Ophelia said affectionately slipping her arms around Morticia's neck, her face next to hers."And to one of the biggest womanizers, this town has seen."

Morticia almost winced at her words as she looked at their reflection in the mirror.

"Is he really so...you know?"

"Oh hell yes," her sister confirmed immediately."I have never seen him with one girl longer than two weeks."

"Great," Morticia commented sarcastically.

Ophelia smiled understandingly and gave her sister comforting hug.

"He likes beautiful women and good fun," she said before adding softly."But he never proposed to any girl before. And he's a good guy, Tish."

"But do you think father is right? Is it al too fast?"

Ophelia shrugged noncommittally and disentangled her arms from her sister before straightening up. She looked thoughtfully at Morticia's reflection in the mirror.

"Do you?"She asked.

Morticia stayed silent for a long while, marvelling over the question before replying in soft, but confident tone."I want to spend the rest of my life with him, Ophelia."

"Then you have your answer."

Morticia smiled gratefully and turned away from the dressing mirror making her way to her walk-in wardrobe, where a long dress of black silk and deep burgundy lace was already prepared. Morticia took off her robe and slipped into the soft, expensive material. She then came to stand in front of the full-length mirror to examine the final look and smiled to herself, pleased with the effect.

Her sister came up behind her and gently zipped up her dress.

"God damn it, Tish...you will give Mr Addams a heart attack" she commented cheerfully. "You make my little, tender heart swell with pride," she added smirking, before giving her sister's a quick kiss on her pale cheek and disappearing back into the room.

Morticia bit her lower lip, smiling at Ophelia's comment, her eyes shining with amusement. There was no denying, though, that she looked simply irresistible.

* * *

Gomez Addams shifted uncomfortably in his seat, feeling an embarrassing urge to squirm under the vicious look Mr Frump was currently gracing him with - to apparent, utter delight of his own father who sat next to Mr Frump with barely concealed amusement at his son's discomfort.

Both men enjoyed their drinks and a light conversation of the old acquaintances but Mr Frump's watchful gaze barely left Gomez.

His mother, on the other hand, chatted happily with Frump women completely oblivious, or as Gomez rightly suspected, entirely unconcerned by the animosity Mr Frump was projecting towards his soon-to-be son-in-law.

"My dear," a very slim, middle-aged woman with long, grey hair and a kind face turned to him. Mabel, he remembered Mr Frump introducing her as his younger sister. "Are you not well? You are awfully quiet."

Gomez flashed her his most charming smile before replying:"Not at all, madam," he didn't know what demon possessed him but he eyed Mortimer Frump briefly before adding. "I'm simply anxious to see my enchanting fiancée."

If look could kill, Gomez Addams was sure he would already be a dead man...twice.

Mr Frump summoned the most vicious expression in his repertoire, glaring at the young man with all his might.  _What_.  _A_.  _Cad_.

Mabel, however, beamed at his words, delighted.

"Oh, Hester, isn't he a darling!" She exclaimed to her sister-in-law and then without waiting for an answer took Gomez's hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "Please, you must call me Aunt Mabel, we will be soon a family after all."

Mr Frump gave out an outraged gasp, almost spilling his drink.

Gomez grinned.

"Morticia!" He heard Hester exclaim happily."There you are, my dear."

Gomez felt his heartbeat stop and then restart again furiously as he turned and was faced with his beautiful enchantress. He sprung to his feet and she beamed at him, clearly delighted to see him.

His stomach fluttered uncontrollably.

"Cara Mia," he grinned at her and took her pale hand in both of his, placing a firm kiss to the soft skin at the back of her hand. "You look breathtakingly beautiful."

"Thank you, Mon Cher," she said softly, looking at him adoringly and squeezed his hands tighter.

He could not explain it, but there was something in the way she said it that has simply set his blood on fire. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, he growled deep in his throat and his lips captured Morticia's slim hand and proceeded to set up a trail of hot kisses along her irresistible, lace-clad arm.

Suddenly, his head went forward in a sharp motion and excruciating pain spread at the back of his head.

"What the hell, son?!" Mr Frump hissed behind him after delivering Gomez Addams the biggest head slap of his entire life.

Gomez turned toward him, without releasing his fiancée's hand, an utter confusion attached to his face. He blinked furiously looking Morticia's father straight in the eye.

"Damn…" was all his passion infused brain allowed him to utter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are moving into an M rated territory, so if you don't wish to read this type of content you might want to leave like...now. Otherwise, hope you will enjoy chapter 2!

**Chapter 2**

Nobody said life was all lovely thorns and singing vultures, but two weeks into his engagement to Morticia, Gomez Addams was becoming a wreck of a man. Sexually frustrated wreck of a man. He knew all about passion and sexual desire, but it all paled in comparison to how his gothic enchantress made him feel. Every time he held her in his arms and she gazed at him so adoringly, it tugged at his insides and made him feel as if he was about to burst into flames. He loved the way her body felt against his as if they were created solely for the purpose of being in each other's arms. His palms still tangled at the memory of Morticia's glorious curves.

Gomez growled in frustration. It should be illegal to desire someone with such ferocity. He lost count of the number of cold showers he had to take in a day just to be able to function as a semi-rational human being.

If it was up to him, they would already be married and halfway through their honeymoon, but alas. Apparently, the bride and the groom had the least power to make any decisions in regards to their own wedding. The two families, and particularly Gomez's mother, have insisted that the wedding ought to be a huge family event, with the whole of the Addams clan attending. Eudora thought it would be an insult to the whole family to have her son marry in a small, private ceremony. They have also decided on a big engagement party, to the utter disregard for Morticia and Gomez's expressed wishes that they are to be wed as soon as possible.

Hence, with the wedding still three weeks away, he struggled with finding ways to occupy himself with something, anything to distract him from the steamy thoughts of his sweet querida.

"Gomez, darling."

Particularly, when the object of his steamy thoughts was currently mere two feet away from him.

Gomes looked up from where he was setting up an automatic clay target thrower and saw her looking at him expectantly, holding her Remington pointed down at the barren garden patch. It was another gloriously cloudy and grey, albeit unbearably humid, day. They were spending the afternoon at the Addams mansion, practising clay target shooting in the graveyard - something Morticia was excited to try since Gomez mentioned it being one his favourite pastimes; while their parents were engrossed in planning the details of the upcoming engagement party.

"Cara mia," he said lovingly. "Forgive me, I've got lost in thoughts," he explained bending down to finish setting up the thrower.

"Oh?" She cooed in her low, sensual voice. "And what is it you were so lost thinking about, mon cher?"She smiled, satisfied to see his back stiffen at her question and in less than two seconds she was in his arms, his lips nipping at her ivory throat.

"Tish, your French…" he growled into the soft skin of her neck. "It makes my blood boil, querida."

"Mmmmm, you make my blood boil, mon amour," she whispered and felt his hand tightening on her behind as he pulled her even closer. She closed her eyes, completely lost in the sensation of his hot lips against her skin. She felt the shotgun slip gently from her hand and land on the dry soil with a soft thud. Once free, her hands immediately found their way into Gomez's pomaded hair, tugging at it encouragingly inducing a low growl from his throat.

"Eres divina," he murmured appreciatively against her lips before capturing them in a hot, demanding kiss.

Morticia moaned at the sheer force of his kiss, her body clinging to him in desperate need.

Gomez grabbed her hips and pulled them sharply against his and Morticia almost whimpered as she became instantly aware how much he desired her.

Their passion clouded brains didn't register a presence behind them until a strong hand connected with Gomez's skull, making them bump their foreheads together in a sharp motion and Gomez heard a low, threatening growl next to his ear.

" _This_ is  _not_ the kind of target shooting you were supposed to practice, Addams."

Startled, Gomez and Morticia immediately let go of each other.

"Damn," Gomez mumbled massaging a sore spot at the back of his head.

He glanced half-annoyed, half-sheepish at his future father-in-law. As if the constant state of sexual frustration was not torturous enough, he was almost sure he was also developing quite a brain damage, for he lost count of the amount of head slaps he managed to receive in the last two weeks.

The ability of Mr Frump to show up every time he tried to ravish his sweet querida was simply uncanny.

* * *

Morticia's arms were beginning to feel numb and she stood patiently on a wooden stool, her arms outstretched, watching her mother's seamstress circling her, tape measure in hand, and every so often prodding her with little pins.

All the Frump women were spending Tuesday morning on yet another in the series of dress fittings at her mother's trusted seamstress in lieu of the upcoming engagement party and, of course, the wedding itself. Morticia was all for the pleasures of pain, but after over two hours of fitting, even she was beginning to have had enough. She must admit though, her wedding dress was simply exquisite, made of the most expensive black silk and lace so delicate she was constantly worried it would tear any minute. She thought there was very little chance of it surviving her wedding night, for she doubted either Gomez or herself, for that matter, would be able to restrain themselves for long enough to be gentle about removing the delicate dress.

Morticia bit her lips, willing herself to get rid of the thoughts of her upcoming wedding night. She wanted Gomez so much it made her feel half-crazed, but it seemed they were doomed to wait until their wedding night if the plagues of constant interruptions were any indication.

"So," Aunt Mabel eyed her niece curiously, her shapely left eyebrow raised and a knowing smirk gracing her kind features."Where is your darling Gomez taking you out tonight?"

To Mr Frump's utter dismay, Mabel Frump was absolutely ecstatic about her niece's romance - which, after she has accidentally/on purpose allowed Gomez and Morticia some unsupervised quality time, lead Mr Frump to ban her from chaperone duties of the young couple.

"Dinner at the Spanish restaurant and the theatre," Morticia replied with a tender smile. "But it's a double date with Ophelia and Gomez's cousin - papa insisted."

Mabel snorted ungainly at the very prospect of Ophelia chaperoning anyone."That poor, delusional, darling man," she commented affectionately.

"Mabel!" Hester scolded just for the hell of it.

"What are you going to see?" Mabel prodded ignoring her sister-in-law.

Morticia smirked at the question."Macbeth," she replied.

"How fitting," her aunt commented with a chuckle, helping herself to a large glass of wine.

"Aunt Mabel, it's not even eleven o'clock in the morning," Ophelia scolded half-heartedly in a faux outrage.

Mabel was about to take a sip of the red liquid but stopped suddenly to ponder on her niece's statement. "You're so right, dear," she agreed, putting her wine glass away and grabbed the bottle of Moët & Chandon Dom Perignon White Gold instead.

Morticia chuckled and Hester roller her eyes good-naturedly, shaking her head in amusement.

"We can add more of those black diamonds," the seamstress said in a reply to Hester's complaint that the dress did not seem to sparkle enough. Morticia smiled at the request, she knew if her mother had her way everyone would sparkle and wear a tiara. "But it's a very delicate job, it may require you to postpone the wedding by a day or two."

Morticia's eyes widened in alarm and immediately she looked at her sister, in a desperate plea for help, for whereas it might sound ridiculous, her mother was not above postponing the wedding for the sake of this damn dress.

Ophelia smirked, relaxed in a large, golden armchair, watching her sister going through this ordeal for the last two hours.

"I do not think that would be very prudent, mother," she said silkily, leisurely examining her pink-coated nails, then pointed her pale hand at her sister. "Those two can barely keep their hands off each other as it is. Please, let's just get this wedding out of the way, so the two of them can finally fuck," she deadpanned.

"Ophelia!" Her mother exclaimed outraged, turning abruptly to her eldest child exasperated. "Must you be so crude?"

Morticia rolled her eyes. Trust her dear sister to get straight to the point.

"Pardon, mama," her sister apologized sweetly."Let's just get this wedding out of the way so the two of them can wrap themselves in a glorious blanket of ecstasy," she added in an impassioned, bored tone.

Mabel snorted into her champagne flute and earned herself a vicious glare from her sister-in-law, even Morticia had to bite her cheeks in a futile effort to stop the laugh that was threatening to escape.

Mrs Frump huffed and opened her mouth to tell her oldest daughter off once again but then narrowed her eyes momentarily, as if considering Ophelia's statement; she then turned sharply to the seamstress.

"Forget those diamonds," was all she said.

* * *

Despite a gloriously grey start, Tuesday afternoon turned out to be depressingly hot and sunny. Gomez squinted his eyes at the blinding sun rays as he sat at the back seat of the green Packard on his way to visit dear cousin Wedge, taking the opportunity that Morticia was going to be at the dress fitting and shopping with her mother, aunt and sister until late afternoon, to make arrangements for their honeymoon.

Arriving at the imposing, gloomy, two-storey mansion, Gomez didn't even wait for Lurch to open the car door for him, his eagerness getting the better of him. The moment he stepped out of the car he was assaulted by a 4-feet-tall creature with a very becoming lump on his back.

"Uncle Gomez!" A dark blond-haired boy dressed in black shorts and grey shirt collided into his knees with such force it almost made Gomez lose his bent down and picked the little boy up, setting him on his left hip.

"Hello, little pup," he ruffled boy's tangled hair and laughed when his nephew frowned at him.

"Uncle, you're messing up my hairdo!"

"Ha! You look like you haven't seen a comb in days, boy," he grinned.

"He hasn't," said amused, soft voice at the entrance.

Gomez looked up, spotting his cousins' wife leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, with a happy smile on her face. Gomez smiled back and made his way towards the blond-haired women.

"Lith," he greeted softly, kissing her on both cheeks."You look breathtaking as always."

"Gomez, you're such a charmer," she patted his cheek affectionately, giggling despite herself. Gomez Addams might be a hopeless womanizer but it was indeed impossible to resist this charming, Castilian cad.

"Get away from my wife, you smooth bastard," a stern voice bellowed from inside the house as Wedge Addams materialized next to his wife, giving Gomez a measured look. "Long time no see, cousin."

"Far too long," he agreed before they both grinned and embraced making their way further inside the dark residence.

"Oh, but you've been very busy, haven't you?" Lithium interjected, grinning slyly. "Why, with your  _engagement_  and all."

"Lith almost fainted when we've got the invitation for your engagement dinner party," Wedge laughed teasingly as they all sat in the parlour." She thought it was one of your pranks until the wedding invitation arrived!"

"Mama said the hell froze over," the little boy piped from his position on Gomez laps.

Gomez laughed loudly and nodded his thanks when Wedge handed him a cigar and a tumbler of whisky on the rocks.

"Lumpy, darling," Lithium smiled gently at her son. "Run along and play in the garden, uncle Gomez needs to speak to your father."

"But I wanna stay," Lumpy whined wriggling on Gomez's laps.

"You can't, it's a grown-up talk."

"But mother, I already know about bees and - "

"- out of the room, Lumpy!" Lithium commanded sternly before her son could finish.

Lumpy frowned but knew better than to contradict his mother and hopped off of Gomez's laps, but before leaving the room he turned his puppy eyes at his uncle.

"Will you come to see my new pet tarantula before you leave?"

"Why, of course, I will, old man!" Gomez winked at the little boy and ruffled his hair for good measure, earning himself another glare, before Lumpy run away from the room.

Once sure her son was out of an earshot, Lithium turned to Gomez with an excited smile.

Gomez knew what was coming before she opened her purple-coloured lips.

"Tell me all about her," she demanded eagerly. "I want to know all there is about a woman who made Gomez fucking Addams propose to her!"

"You have such a way with words, my dear," her husband commented dryly, long used to her expressive vocabulary.

"Shut up," Lithium smirked, helping herself to a glass of wine."Gomez, talk."

"You will have to wait and meet her at the engagement party on Saturday," he replied teasingly, amused at her eagerness.

"No, you bastard, you have to give me more than that!" Lithium protested throwing one of the settee cushions at him, missing his head only narrowly. "Your mother said you proposed to her the very same day you've met," she grinned. "So she must be quite something."

"Hey!  _I_  proposed to you the very same day we've met," Wedge interjected petulantly. "Right after you gave me the most magnificent blow - job of my life," he added in a deadpan tone with a cigar wedged between his teeth.

"And you've been enchanted ever since," Lithium added with a charming smile directed at her husband."However, let's be realistic here if Gomez proposed to every woman who gave him a blow-job he would be married twenty times already," she said with a raised eyebrow, drawing a hearty laugh from her husband.

Gomez rolled his eyes at their playful teasing. He has been unfazed and long used to the explicitly frank ways the pair conducted their conversations. However, the mentioning of Morticia and a blow - job in one sentence made him feel suddenly very warm and he shifted uncomfortably in his armchair. Which, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed as his cousin's wife regarded him suspiciously, narrowing her blue eyes.

"Oh my God," her jaw seemed to drop at the realization as she grabbed her husband's knee digging her long, sharp nails into it painfully, making Wedge wince.

"What the hell, Lilth?!"

Gomez didn't like where this was going.

"You haven't slept with her!" Lithium stated confidently.

He didn't like it at all.

"Lith, where are your manners, dear?" Wedge gasped in an outrage but then turned sharply towards his cousin his eyes narrowing."You really haven't slept with her?"

"Well...not for the lack of trying," Gomez admitted painfully and drowned his whisky with one big gulp. He desperately needed a change of subject. "And I didn't come here to discuss my sex life."

"Or lack of thereof," teased Lithium, grinning at him maniacally.

" _Anyway_ ,' Gomez said through clenched teeth which only seemed to further amuse his cousin's wife. "I came over to ask you a favour."

"Anything for my dear cousin," Wedge said encouragingly.

Gomez nodded in thanks and leaned forward to drop the ash from the cigar into the ashtray at the middle of the coffee table.

"I want to surprise Morticia with a honeymoon and I thought -"

" - say no more!" Lithium exclaimed excitedly, clasping her hand together. "Our private cottage in Devil's Island will be simply perfect for you and your bride. It's dark and desolate... it just screams romance!"

Gomez grinned at her, already delighted at the prospect.

"Never pegged you for such a romantic, cousin," Wedge teased friendly, smiling knowingly at Gomez.

"Oh, darling," his wife smiled and pointed at Gomez. "He's marrying a woman he hasn't had sex with, he wants to surprise her with a romantic honeymoon...if that's not a sign that this cad is hopelessly in love then I don't know what is."

* * *

Itt Addams was not impressed.

He loved his cousin like a brother, they grew up together and he would do anything for him - which is why he currently found himself in an uncomfortably hot and humid Tuesday evening in front of a luxurious, Spanish restaurant, waiting for their dates to arrive. Well... that, and he really owed Gomez for bailing him out after a party they both attended turned into a brawl, when Itt accidentally wooed a girlfriend of a local drug lord, who then tried to kill him, but somehow managed to stab himself in the eye with a fork and Itt was arrested for an attempted murder. All in all, it was a fun night.

And so, after Gomez begged him relentlessly, Itt has agreed to be a date to Gomez's fiancée's sister.

"Mnhmnaanhgahg,'Itt whined, turning to his cousin impatiently.

"I know, I know and I owe you, old man," Gomez patted him on the back cheerfully."Especially when you see your date," he muttered to himself.

"Mghbmgh!?" asked Itt, alarmed.

Gomez grinned sheepishly at him but before he could reply, a black car stopped right in front of the entrance and the most enchanting woman Itt has ever seen, stepped out of it gracefully. Her wavy, ebony locks reached almost to her hips. He couldn't help but stare at her while he was trying to decide if the long, shimmery black, silk dress she wore was surprisingly modest or sinfully alluring.

"Manmnmnaaaaa,' he complimented in awe.

"That she is, old man. I'm truly the luckiest man in the world," Gomez replied with a wide smile as he watched his black angel make her way towards him with a brilliant smile on her face.

Suddenly, Itt gave an outraged shriek that sounded suspiciously like  _you must be fucking kidding me_ as the second woman exited the car dressed in a pink, knee-length chiffon dress, her head peppered with...with...were those freaking daisies…?

A guilty laugh escaped Gomez at his reaction.

"I told you I owe you big time," he smirked and then extended his arms as the ebony-haired beauty came towards them, her sister at her side.

"Darling," Morticia came into his outstretched arms, her eyes glittering with happiness upon seeing her beloved.

Gomez took her slim hand and placed a loving kiss to her knuckles just next to the prominent black, diamond engagement ring that used to belong to his great-grandmother and was now given to him by his mother, who insisted that her future daughter-in-law should be presented with this beautiful Addams' heirloom. He was more than happy to comply and Morticia was in an absolute awe at the beauty and detailed finish of the precious ring when he has presented it to her during their romantic, midnight stroll through the Addams swamp.

"Tish **,'** he murmured into the soft skin of her hand."You look absolutely ravishing."

"Thank you, mon amour," she looked at him lovingly.

Next to her, Ophelia groaned " _Not this again"_ as the moment the French endearment left Morticia's lips, Gomez was already kissing his way up her pale arm, but Morticia didn't mind that at all, wholly enjoying his attention.

"Later, darling, later,' Morticia cooed, scratching his cheek as Gomez reached her neck. "Don't you want to introduce us to your cousin?"

"What cousin?" He murmured looking at her in utter confusion. He then followed her line of sight, looking to his left side and saw Itt staring at him, completely flabbergasted at his behaviour "Oh! Of course. Tish, Ophelia meet my dearest cousin - Itt Addams. Itt, this is Morticia - the love of my life and that charming creature is her sister Ophelia."

"Mhnfhsnhgs," said Itt, bowing gallantly. Always a gentleman, although he silently wondered how these two women could be even remotely related.

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine," Morticia replied, smiling charmingly.

"My, my," Ophelia said appreciatively without taking her eyes off of Cousin Itt. "These Addams men, aren't they all ladykillers?"

"Acquitted," Gomez quipped proudly as the four of them entered the restaurant.

Twenty minutes into their dinner date, Itt has happily decided that despite a truly atrocious sense of fashion and those ridiculous flowers in her hair, Ophelia Frump was indeed fun to be with; she had a dry sense of humour he really liked, she listened carefully to his stories and laughed at his crude jokes. She also blushed and giggled every time he paid her a compliment, which Itt found truly endearing.

He also took an instant liking to his cousin's fiancée. She was not only beautiful but funny, kind and delightfully charming. The couple was completely enamoured with each other, constantly touching and stealing quick kisses. Itt was happy to see Gomez so relaxed and jolly again, his eyes had a spark he hasn't seen since before Fester run away. Although he knew that Gomez will probably never forgive himself for what he's done to his brother, Itt has hoped that the future Mrs Addams will be able to heal his wounded soul and at least help him come to terms with the whole situation.

Itt was in process of entertaining everyone with a story of his recent love mishap when he saw Gomez's eyes darken as he looked intensively at the entrance.

Morticia's laugh ceased as she felt Gomez stiffen next to her and followed his line of sight curiously. A tall man with long, black, sleek hair tied into a ponytail entered the restaurant, a beautiful redhead attached to his arm. As if feeling Gomez's gaze on him, the man turned and their eyes met. The man smirked menacingly and slowly made his way towards their table.

"Who is he?" Morticia enquired as she felt Gomez's arm on her hip, pulling her possessively closer to him.

"The winner of the biggest jerk award of the whole Addams clan," Gomez winced without taking his eyes of the unwelcome relative.

Itt turned and quickly agreed with his assessment.

"Gomez,' the man greeted silkily but with a clearly visible animosity as he approached their table."Fancy seeing you here," then, spotting cousin Itt, he nodded to him politely." Cousin Itt. What a surprise, I didn't realize you were back in the country."

'Vlad,' Gomez greeted somberly.

Morticia felt his grip on her hip tighten and she instinctively put her hand comfortingly on his thigh.

Vlad noticed the movement and smiled at Morticia charmingly.

"Why, this must be your beautiful fiancée," he stated and looked at Gomez expectantly. "My mother told me you got engaged. Aren't you going to introduce us, cousin?"

"I would rather not," Gomez replied and Morticia frowned at his attitude. She has never seen him behaving with such animosity towards anyone.

Vlad ignored him and extended his hand graciously towards Morticia, she reluctantly placed her slim hand in his.

"Vladimir Addams," he introduced himself kissing her hand slowly, his lips lingering far longer than it was socially acceptable.

Morticia gently extracted her hand, surprised at his audacity and shared a quick look with Gomez. She could hear his furious breathing as his face clouded with anger.

"Morticia Frump," she smiled politely.

"Why, cousin," Vlad drawled slowly."She's absolutely  _delightful_."

"That's enough, Vlad," Gomez stated dangerously.

Vladimir, however, completely ignored him. The redhead at his arm shifted uncomfortably.

"I wonder, would you be willing to share her?" He asked casually and turned to Morticia with a silken smile. "We used to share women back at Oxford, haven't we, cousin?"To his surprise, Morticia's expression hasn't even flinched at his scandalous suggestion as she regarded him with a surprising amount of calm and poise. He liked that.

"Vlad, let's go," the redhead tried to placate, but the man paid her no mind.

Vlad was not ever the one to give up easily. He shamelessly admired Morticia, his eyes travelling lustily over her body.

"I certainly wouldn't mind to taste her - " he commented offhandedly.

Itt gave out an outraged squeak and next to him Ophelia gasped as they all watched Gomez stand up with a rapid speed and his fist connected with Vlad's nose before the later could finish the sentence. Vlad stumbled upon the impact, losing his balance and landed at the unoccupied table behind him, smashing the water glasses, blood trickled slowly from his nose.

"Listen to me, you stupid bastard," Gomez growled grabbing Vlad by his shirt."You come anywhere near her and I will end your pathetic existence, I  _promise_  you," he hissed to his cousin's face.

However, apparently, his cousin had a serious death wish.

"Are you the only one allowed to screw other people's fiancées cousin?' Vlad sneered at him.

Gomez pushed him away and watched him stumble and fall onto a carpeted floor. A crowd of people gathered around them, among them the owner of the restaurant.

"Senior Addams, please," he pleaded with Gomez."No fighting, it takes ages to take the blood stains out of this carpet."

Gomez was furious but nodded at the owner and then slowly walked towards his cousin, who managed to get up back on his feet and was now holding a white cloth to his bleeding nose.

"I haven't touched her and you know it," Gomez said in a low, dangerous growl, his voice shaking with anger. "I'm getting tired of this whole bullshit,  _cousin._  If I see you anywhere near my fiancée, I swear to you, you are a dead man."

Itt was glad to see that Vlad had enough common sense left in him not to antagonize Gomez any further, but he continued to look at him menacingly, humiliated. He then turned on his heel abruptly and stormed out of the restaurant, leaving his shocked, redhead companion behind.

Gomez returned back to the table, with every intention of apologising to Morticia for his scandalous behaviour, but then he noticed her looking at him with those dark, beautiful eyes and he saw no traces of anger there. Instead, she was gazing at him with a raw, unbridled desire that made him forget all about Vlad. She bit her lips as her hands went to his jaw, grazing the skin gently, her lips only millimetres from his.

"Mon savage," she whispered seductively and captured his lips in a kiss so passionate it made him instantly light-headed.

Itt smirked as the couple started to devour each other, paying no mind to the uncomfortable looks of patrons around them.

Well, they may end up being kicked out of this particular establishment over an indecent behaviour, but Itt was glad to see that at least the incident with Vlad was nowhere near his cousin's mind.

* * *

The rest of the night passed with no further dramatic affairs, not accounting for the fact that halfway through the 'Macbeth' Itt and Ophelia disappeared, God knows where, and when they finally turned up, Ophelia's daisies were in total disarray.

It was safe to assume that, as so many women before her, she too fell under cousin Itt's famous charm. After all, there was no doubt that he was a handsome devil.

They arrived back at the Frump's estate well after midnight, firstly dropping cousin Itt at his apartment in the city.

Ophelia bid them goodnight and disappeared inside the dark house. Carefully, not to wake anyone, she removed her high heels at the bottom of the stairs and silently made her way upstairs to her room.

Gomez and Morticia watched Ophelia's retreating form and the moment the heavy front door closed behind her, Gomez's hand sneaked around Morticia's thin waist. She turned to him smiling. She knew it was late and she should follow her sister into the house, but she couldn't bear to part with him yet.

"Care for a midnight walk in the garden, my love?" The question rolled of her crimson lips quite innocently, but Gomez recognized a slight tension in her voice.

He nodded, taking both of her hands and kissing them lovingly.

"Am I in trouble?"

"Do you want to be?" she asked teasingly.

"Depends," he grinned. "What's the punishment?"

She laughed quietly and leaned closer to kiss him.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she teased against his lips.

The walked silently hand in hand in the darkness clad garden, with the only dimmed source of light provided by the clouded moon. Gomez kept gazing at his lovely companion, completely dazzled by how her delightfully pale complexion seemed to glow in the moonlight. The warm scent of musk and bitter almonds, that always surrounded her, assaulted his senses violently and he closed his eyes at the sensation, opening them only when they came to a sudden stop before a metal garden bench.

He noticed they were quite a distance from the house, not too far but enough to provide them with some privacy. He looked at Morticia curiously, but she only smiled at him lovingly. They sat down close together on the bench, hands entwined, enjoying the comfortable eeriness of the midnight silence.

Morticia rested her head against Gomez's broad chest and sighed contently as he wrapped his arm around her, tracing delicate circles on her silk-clad arm. There was still a slight tension in his body following the encounter with Vlad. She guessed that the animosity between the cousins was due to Gomez allegedly seducing Vlad's fiancée, but Gomez didn't elaborate on that and she didn't ask. She didn't yet feel particularly confident prodding him on the topics he didn't seem to be willingly wanting to discuss with her. However, it was at the moments like this that she realized how little they really knew about each other. Of course, she was perfectly aware of his reputation and Ophelia confirmed that he more than lived up to it; and so she accepted, and indeed was expecting, that Gomez's past will catch up with them one way or the other, that she will have to encounter his past lovers at some point and listen to the stories of his Dionysian lifestyle. Just as she did today.

Nevertheless, she felt her body warm up at the memory. There was something enchantingly animalistic and primaeval in the way Gomez threatened his cousin with death because of her. He was raging and she instantly knew that he would follow on his promise, that he would indeed kill for her. She thought about how his face darkened, furious and demonically dangerous - it frightened and excited her. She found the combination irresistible. She felt her heartbeat increase as her breath became a little more shallow and her hand prickled with the need to touch him. She heard him whisper her name and she turned her head to look at him, her eyes ablaze with need.

Gomez's breath hitched in his throat at the look in her eyes and he watched dazzled as she stood up gracefully and slid gently onto his laps. She immediately captured his lips in a firm kiss, her hands travelling to his jaw bone, caressing it gently as it has become her habit whenever they kissed. She felt his arms wrap around her as they deepened their kiss and she moaned softly in pleasure when she felt his tongue enter her mouth.

Gomez growled at the back of his throat,  _gods she tasted delicious_. He felt her body heat up under his touch; emboldened, his hand travelled the length from her curvy hips and her supple thighs until finding its way under the soft material of the skirt of her dress.

Morticia moaned encouragingly into his mouth as his hand caressed the smooth skin of her thigh. His other hand grabbed her behind and pulled her roughly against his hips. Morticia ground against him and he hissed with pleasure at the sensation, his head falling back against the metal bench and he bit his lips so hard they almost bled.

"Tish…," he groaned in shallow gasps and before he could fully comprehend, she placed her hand between his legs and cupped him firmly.

The desperate sound that came from his lips made Morticia weak with desire. She moved her hand to caress him tentatively and he groaned appreciatively, making her more confident in her caress. Her lips travelled to his throat, kissing and biting into his hot skin as she continued to massage him through his trousers.

Gomez grabbed her hips so forcefully he was sure he will leave bruises on her perfect skin. The combined sensation of her lips and hand caressing him firmly was so overwhelming he could not help it when his hips bucked uncontrollably. Suddenly, he felt her move away and almost whimpered in disappointment at the loss of contact until he opened his eyes and saw her get on her knees before him. His heart hammered in his chest in anticipation, his breath turning shallow as he watched her open his trousers. He bit his lips and groaned in pleasure when he felt her lips on him and his hand fisted into her ebony hair.

"God," he groaned huskily.

Morticia caressed his length tentatively with her hand, before flicking her tongue over the top of his penis and was rewarded with a sharp moan. She felt him pull on her hair harder and she too moaned with pleasure. Her hand kept massaging him as she went down on him, caressing him with her lips and tongue. She moaned softly as she felt him tugging at her hair, it excited her to be able to give him such intense pleasure.

His breathing was turning erratic as he felt himself pulsing inside her mouth, he had to grab the bench to stop himself from pushing her head down on him. The combined sensation of her lips and tongue was like nothing he experienced before and he knew it was because it was  _her._ He briefly wondered who was the lucky bastard that made her so skilled at this but discarded the thought as soon as it came.

"Tish…," he murmured in warning.

His hand was back in her hair as he tried to pull her mouth off him, but her fingers wrapped around him even tighter as she sucked at the length of him, feeling him pulsing she kept his mouth on him until he groaned her name and came violently, his hand wrapping tightly in her hair.

When she finally looked up at him, he was watching her with such passion, love and admiration it almost made her heart burst with excitement. She kissed her way up his stomach and his chest until she found his lips.

He could taste himself on his tongue and it made him half-crazed with lust.

"Cara mia," he whispered passionately pulling her towards him closer until she sat on his laps, her legs at each side of him. His heart was racing as he pushed her dress further up her thighs until it reached her hips, exposing her milky skin and black, lace panties. He felt her fingers dig into his shoulders as she twitched against him expectantly. Gomez slipped his hand into her panties and they both groaned in unison. She was so wet it made his hands shake at the realization of how much she desired him.

He caressed her gently in a circular motion and Morticia moaned softly in pleasure, it felt so good it made her light-headed and she could not help but move her hips against his hand. She captured his lips into hers and gasped loudly into his mouth as he slipped two fingers inside her, his palm pressing hard against her.

"Oh yes, oh darling please," she whimpered not exactly sure what was she begging him for but the tension in her stomach was simultaneously glorious and unbearable. She was moving with him, clutching at him desperately. The sound of their heavy breathing filled the midnight air and it made her heady with desire. She felt the brilliant warmth spread through her stomach and at the back of her thighs and her lips parted in a sharp moan as she came against him, her inner muscles clenching around his fingers. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him closer, biting his lower lip until the waves of her orgasm subdued.

She felt his arms wrap around her tighter before he gazed at her with a look of complete surrender and devotion and she knew he could see the same look reflected in her eyes.

"I love you," she whispered, her eyes never leaving his as she caressed his cheek.

"I love you, querida," he murmured against her lips. "Forever."

They both jumped apart, startled at the sudden light that came from the conservatory.

Morticia rolled her eyes and got off of her lover with an exasperated sigh. Gomez smirked at her as he started to fix his clothes.

"Three more weeks, cara," he said taking one of her dark tendrils between his fingers caressing them lazily. "And you will never leave my bed again," he promised, placing a soft kiss onto her hair.

She could definitely live with that.

* * *

Sunday was always Mortimer Frump's favourite day of the week. It was a day he dedicated solely to his family. A sort of tradition they started since the day Ophelia was born. They haven't always done anything special, sometimes - like today - they were simply enjoying a day at home, a whole family together.

Mortimer smiled fondly as he watched Morticia - barefoot, playing ball with Kitty Cat in the garden despite the awfully sunny day. The animal growled playfully at his mistress as she tried to snatch the ball from his jaws, he was clearly enjoying their banter.

In the last two weeks there was an addition to their Sunday family gatherings in the form of one Mr Addams and although initially, Mr Frump has been reluctant to have him included, since the young Addams and Morticia spent every single day together anyway, he had to accept that whether he wanted it or not, Gomez Addams was going to be his son-in-law. Therefore, he decided, solely for the sake of his daughter, to make an effort to get to know him better.

It still annoyed him to no end that the young couple had an immense trouble keeping their hands off each other, no matter how many head-slaps he delivered to the Addams' skull. However, he had to admit, albeit reluctantly, that the young Mr Addams turned out to be quite a likeable and interesting fellow - he shared 's love for fencing and Shakespeare, which obviously had to earn him some points. Mortimer even started to look forward to their daily sparring sessions but he would rather poke himself in the eye with one of his wife's stiletto heels than to admit it to anyone.

"You look very happy," his wife commented as she flopped heavily on the deck-chair next to him before pointing to their youngest daughter "How can she play like this in this blasted heat?" She wondered." I'm melting away by just by sitting still."

"She feels guilty for neglecting the poor pet while she was gallivanting around with Mr Addams," Mr Frump commented loudly, laughing at the outraged huff that escaped Morticia at his words.

"Papa, how can you say such thing?" Morticia asked while still trying to snatch the ball off Kitty's jaws. "Mommy would never ever neglect you, wouldn't she, my darling?"She cooed at the lion. Kitty wiggled his tail excitedly and let go of the ball. Morticia gave out a surprised shriek as she fell back on the grass with a soft thud, drawing a hearty laugh from her parents and the older sister.

"Speaking of," Mortimer said turning to his wife."Mr Addams has been curiously absent lately."

"He's away until tomorrow tending to some business matters, before they go off on their honeymoon," Ophelia supplied from her place next to her father where she was sunbathing on a deck-chair."Which is why our dear Tishy has been moping around the house for three days now," she teased with a smirk, looking at her sister from above the rim of her sunglasses.

"I am certainly  _not_  moping around," Morticia countered with an outraged embarrassment, still lying on a grass and wrinkled her nose when Kitty Cat started to lick her cheek. She patted his head lovingly."Kitty, get off, you're not a baby anymore - you must weight a tone," she added with a huff when the lion decided to climb up on her laps.

"Morticia, get up darling, you will ruin your dress," her mother reprimanded while fanning herself vigorously.

"Oh, who cares?" Ophelia replied with a careless wave of her hand. "Gomez will buy her a new one."

"Ophelia," Mortimer reprimanding growl reverberated from behind his Sunday paper.

"Well, she has a point," Hester supplied lightly."He is  _very_ rich."

"One of his many endearing qualities,"Ophelia quipped."Isn't it, Tish?"

Morticia sighed dramatically.

"Can you believe these two gold-diggers, baby?" She asked Kitty while smoothing the mane of the animal's thick hair and heard her father's amused snort.

Suddenly, they heard the commotion at the terrace door and Mabel Frump came through, grinning maniacally pulling behind her smiling, but very tired-looking Gomez Addams who was carrying with him a lovely bouquet of thorny rose stems.

"Just look who I found at the door!" Mabel bellowed happily.

"Gomez!" Morticia exclaimed in delight and got up to greet him, but Kitty Cat wriggled his tail and roared excitedly upon seeing Gomez and Morticia saw it before it happened."Kitty no!"

She tried to stop the lion but to no avail as Kitty darted towards Gomez and jumped on him with all his might, knocking him down and licking him fervently on his cheek.

"Down Kitty!" He bellowed and the lion immediately sat down next to him obediently, still wiggling his tail excitedly. "This is  _not_  the greeting I was looking forward to," he added as his amused and somewhat embarrassed looking fiancée materialized in front of him extending her hand to help him up to his feet.

"But it's certainly the one you deserve, Addams," Mr Frump quipped smirking, still taking immense pleasure in poking fun at his future son-in-law.

Gomez stood up rolling his eyes at the dig but nodded at Mortimer and shook his hand in a friendly greeting before focusing solely on his darling fiancée.

"I thought you weren't back until tomorrow evening," Morticia said standing on her tiptoes and wrapping her slim arms around his neck. Surprisingly, before he could reply she captured his lips in a firm, loving kiss instead of a customary peck on the cheek she usually greeted him with in front of her parents.

"I wrapped up earlier and took an early morning flight," he explained pulling her closer."These are for you," he added motioning his head to the stems scattered across the terrace.

Morticia looked around and laughed happily.

"They're beautiful," she said with a brilliant smile."I missed you so much," she whispered and pulled him into a firm embrace.

He was surprised but, indeed, absolutely thrilled that she was so affectionate with him even though her whole family was very much present and  _very_  much staring.

"Maybe I should go away more often," he teased, gently touching her dark tresses.

"Please, don't even jest,"Ophelia said lowering her sunglasses."She's been moping around the house for the whole time you were away, we almost got her on anti-depressants."

He saw Morticia roll her eyes.

"You have?" He asked surprised but obviously delighted at the prospect.

She turned to him with a reflection of contempt in her face."Certainly not," she denied, but then her whole family turned to look at her with sceptically raised eyebrows, so she added sheepishly:" Ok maybe...a little bit," she admitted and heard her mother's loud  _ha!_ , she felt a faint pink tint of embarrassment colour her cheeks. She didn't think she was that obvious in her brooding but, apparently, she very much was.

Gomez laughed heartily, wholly enjoying her embarrassment and leaned closer placing a soft kiss on her silky hair.

"It was pure torture to be without you, querida," he said, pulling her even closer and smiled when she wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his chest contentedly."You will have to accompany me on every future businesses trip, I can't stand to be away from you for so long."

"That's a marvellous idea, darling."

Next to them, Mabel clasped her hands in awe.

"Can those two get any sweeter?" She asked no one in particular as she sat on the chair next to Hester.

"If they do, I might need an insulin shot," her brother deadpanned from behind his newspaper.

* * *

She just couldn't stop touching him.

Morticia smiled lovingly at her handsome Castilian, smoothing his pomaded hair gently, even though he could not see her because he was currently napping, spread on the blanket in the garden under a large parasol with his head on her laps, pretty much dead to the world. He looked incredibly relaxed with his blazer and shoes discarded, the sleeves of his crisp, white shirt rolled up to his elbows.

She was mildly surprised that her father left them to spend some time together - alone. Although the reason might be that after they lunched, Gomez was hardly able to keep his eyes open, so her father felt it was probably entirely safe to leave the two of them together.

Indeed, her fiancé was asleep within minutes of putting his head on her laps as her gentle caress effectively lulled him to sleep. It turned out that her mad Castilian didn't get any sleep at all last night since he finished his business dinner very late and went to the hotel to pack his bag and catch the early morning flight. He came here straight from the airport.

He was asleep for two hours now and she wriggled her toes gently in an attempt to ease the numbness in her legs, although she had no desire to move and disturb him. She was pleased that he felt so comfortable around her and her family. She smiled and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

His eyelids fluttered and he took a deep breath before opening his eyes and smiling contentedly at the vision before him. He must have been more tired than he realized, because he certainly did not remember falling asleep, and on Morticia's laps no less.

"Mmmm, this is a beautiful view to wake up to," he murmured and pulled her down to him for a kiss. "How long did I sleep?"

"Over two hours."

He winced.

"Your legs must be numb."

"They are."

"You need me to massage them back to life?" He asked cheekily, turning to place a soft kiss on her upper thigh drawing a soft laugh from her.

"Gomez," she chided in an amused tone as he pushed her down gently on the blanket and climbed on top of her.

"Yes, cara?" he asked while placing soft kisses along her jaw.

"I feel obliged to warn you that my father is in the library."

Gomez gave out an exasperated growl and rolled off of her.

"You're ruining it, Tish."

She actually laughed out loud at his defeated tone earning herself a petulant glare. "But darling, I don't want to become a widow before I even have a chance to be a wife," she reasoned and gave him a charming smile.

"Ah well, then let's go for a walk in the garden," he proposed innocently drawing another hearty laugh from Morticia.

"Gomez!"

"What?"

"You're incorrigible."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied feigning confusion which only made her laugh harder.

* * *

"You left them all alone?"Mabel Frump said raising her eyebrows as she handed her brother a glass of brandy."My my, you're mellowing at the accelerated rate, dear brother."

Mortimer glared at her mildly.

"He's dead to the world, no chance of mauling her when he's asleep now, is there?"He self-defended.

"Ah, isn't he a darling? Forgoing sleep, taking the early flight just to see her?" She asked with a dreamy look on her face as she settled in the armchair next to the empty fireplace.

"Adorable," he deadpanned in reply.

"You like this boy, I can tell," she said pointing her index finger at him.

He grunted and shrugged dismissively.

"Why don't you admit it?"

"This man's ego needs no further boosting, Mabel," he said pointedly before taking a sip of the burgundy liquid drawing an affectionate chuckle out of his sister.

* * *

 

"One step forward, one to the side and three in place, so that's one, two and cha cha cha."

"I think I'm getting a hang of it now," Mabel said next to Gomez, following the steps carefully."You're a good teacher, Gomez."

Gomez smiled at her charmingly.

"Let's try it together now," he said taking Mabel's right hand into his left while his right circled her waist. "Your left hand on my shoulder."

"Auntie, you're blushing,"Ophelia snickered from her place on a settee next to Morticia who tried very hard not to laugh because her aunt was indeed blushing like a schoolgirl.

"I'm not blushing, I'm  _merely_  flushed from all this... chachaing," Mabel defended."Is that even a word?" She wondered out loud making them all laugh.

"Ignore them," Gomez said in a smooth voice."Look at me, into my eyes," he said passionately, but his words only intensified her blush."Ok, now remember, one, two, cha cha cha," he said as he started to move and Mabel followed. He moved her effortlessly around the parlour without her having to look at her feet even once.

"Who would have thought she had it in her,"Ophelia whispered leaning closer to Morticia, making her chuckle.

"I can hear you, you two!"Mabel bellowed, not taking her eyes off of Gomez.

"I didn't say anything," Morticia said in a mock defence.

"You laughed, that's a compliance."

"I didn't laugh...I merely chuckled."

"I'm  _merely_ telling you two to shut up...Gomez, you are a marvellous dancer!"She exclaimed in awe."I can't wait to show you off at my dancing practice."

Gomez stopped abruptly.

"Your what?"He asked confused not sure he heard her correctly until he heard his fiancée's gentle laugh.

"Ah, you see, aunt Mabel started contemporary dancing lessons before we left for holiday," Morticia explained looking at him with high amusement."I think you've just become her dancing partner, mon cher," she teased gently and her eyes widened, immediately realizing her mistake, but it was already too late as she heard his soft  _Tish, that's French_ before he was on his knees in front of her placing soft kisses up her arm.

"Morticia...really,"Mabel said raising her eyes to the ceiling exasperated as if praying for patience, her hands on her hips.

"It slipped up," Morticia defended meekly, patting Gomez on his cheek affectionately.

" _How_ is he going to last one year with you in Paris?" Mabel asked motioning at Gomez who now had his face buried in Morticia's hair, placing ardent kisses on her neck.

Morticia shrugged in reply.

"Gomez, darling," she addressed him softly and heard only a low growl in reply.

He lifted his head from her shoulder and looked at her as in trance as she brought her hands to his cheeks.

Ophelia peered at him over Morticia's shoulder, her eyes narrowing.

"Now, look what you've done," she said accusingly and turned to her sister."He's broken."

Morticia turned to her and wrinkled her nose before sighing dramatically.

"Just...do the honours," she said dropping her hands to her knees."Before the parents come back from their stroll."

Ophelia grinned, stood up gracefully and went to stand behind Gomez before delivering a mighty headslap to his skull.

It worked instantly.

"God damn it!"He cursed massaging a sore spot at the back of his head. He turned and glared at his future sister-in-law."Must you do it so hard?"

"Hey, you were broken,  _I_ fixed you," she said proudly and went back to sit next to Morticia."It's her fault anyway," she added pointing carelessly at Morticia.

Morticia turned sharply towards her sister, her mouth agape in outrage.

"It  _slipped_ out," she said through the gritted teeth.

"Whatever, be thankful it was me and not our father."

Morticia and Gomez turned their heads towards each other, Morticia shrugged and smiled at him charmingly.

Well, he supposed Ophelia had a point.

* * *

"Father says you are welcome to the guest bedroom if you promise not to sneak out into my room in the middle of the night," Morticia informed him teasingly, sitting next to him on terrace stairs and handed him a cup of henbane tea.

Gomez raised his eyebrows in surprise at her words and accepted the cup from her kissing her temple in thanks.

"I accepted his generous offer on your behalf and promised we shall behave," she said with a smile before taking a small sip of her tea.

"Define behave," he asked cheekily nuzzling her hair, drawing a soft laugh out of her.

She turned her head towards him, her nails grazing his cheek gently.

"It was really sweet of you - to come here," she whispered resting her forehead against his."I missed you so much."

"I know, your sister told me," he deadpanned and laughed when she elbowed him gently in the ribs making him almost spill his tea.

"She exaggerated," she countered, wrinkling her nose at him.

"Liar," he accused with a cheeky grin and leaned forward to kiss her. She didn't resist."I was going crazy without you, querida," he admitted placing his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes. He was dead tired but didn't want to part with her just yet.

She placed her hand at the back of his neck, tracing slow patterns on his skin as they sat in a comfortable silence sipping their teas.

"This is nice," he said after a while, his voice rough with tiredness."Midnight, moonlight, just you and me."

"Mhmmm and my whole family probably peering through the window curtains," she quipped and he laughed tiredly."Come on - bedtime," she said gently, nudging his leg with hers.

"It's not fun when it means sleeping."

"I would tuck you in, but I don't want to give my father coronary," she said, finishing her tea.

"Life is full of tough choices, isn't it?" He asked with mock seriousness and let out a huge yawn.

She smiled affectionately and took his empty cup from him placing it next to hers on the floor.

"Come on, you mad Castilian, let's go," she prodded him gently."Before you fall asleep on top of me."

He lifted his head and looked at her with a cheeky smile.

"Well now, that's an idea worth exploring."

* * *

Among the few things Gomez Addams has learnt while staying over at the Frump's household, was that his future father-in-law liked to start his day just like he did - early and with a fencing sparring session. He has also learned that his fiancée was adorably incoherent in the morning if she didn't have her coffee first and Gomez found it hilarious.

He watched her come downstairs in the morning, where he was having breakfast with her father after their fencing session, her face stripped of any make-up, dressed only in her black nightgown and wrapped tightly in a silk robe. Her hair twisted into a messy bun on top of her head. Gomez thought she looked incredibly sexy and adorable at the same time - although he would never admit it to her because she would probably turn him into a lizard - adorable is certainly not how Morticia liked to be seen.

"Good morning, papa," she said in a sleep-tugged voice, placing a soft kiss on her father's cheek before turning towards Gomez. "Good morning, darling," she greeted, kissing him firmly on his lips and went straight for the coffee pot.

Gomez turned to his father-in-law with a bewildered expression on his face, but Mortimer only lifted his hand, effectively stopping him from asking any questions.

"Wait for it," he said simply pointing to his daughter where she was pouring herself a cup of black coffee.

Suddenly Morticia's back stiffened as if she just realized something and she turned slowly towards them. She looked at Gomez and blinked in confusion as if surprised he was there at all, frowned and then turned to her father, then back at Gomez and finally glanced at her state of undress.

"Oh, God damn it," she murmured to herself and put the coffee pot back on the table."I forgot you were here," she muttered and passed through next to him but then turned sharply at the door and went back to fetch her coffee cup without sparing them a single glance and breezed out of the room.

Gomez's eyes followed her until she disappeared back up the stairs before he turned to Mr Frump.

"What's just happened?" he asked, amusement tugging at his voice.

"That,"Mortimer started with an unlightened cigar dangling from his lips."Was an example of a Frump woman before her morning coffee."

Gomez tilted his head and laughed heartily.

God, he could not wait to be married to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to an insanely long chapter 3!

**Chapter 3**

It was a common knowledge that the whole Addams clan enjoyed indulging in an all night long, music and dance filled, loud family gatherings, as their neighbours were able to find out on more than one occasion. An engagement party of Mr Gomez Addams and Miss Morticia Frump was most certainly as good of an occasion as any for an all night long celebration - not that the Addamses needed a reason for throwing a party.

A loud, vibrant music echoed throughout the Addams mansion, intertwined with the sounds of cheerful laughter, animated conversations and children playing with fireworks as the guests from both sides of the family continued to arrive to celebrate the joyous occasion, greeted by immaculately dressed and overjoyed heads of both households. Even Morticia's father looked positively delighted, however that was mainly due to the fact that his wife told him to be so and threatened him with castration if he so much as frowned during the entire party.

A red, shiny Packard stopped at the front of the mansion and a young, nervous-looking chauffeur rushed out to open the door. A very elegant, frail but rather stern looking elderly lady exited the car holding a snake-shaped walking stick for support. She huffed dismissively at the chauffeur's offer of assistance and slowly made her way towards the main door.

"Great-aunt Aurora!" Salvador Addams bellowed happily extending his arms in greeting and placed three customary kisses on his aunt's cold cheeks. "Long time no see."

Aurora Addams grunted in greeting before offering him a thin smile. She looked over her nephew with, typically for her, a critically raised thin eyebrow.

"Indeed Salvador, my child, it's obvious the time hasn't been particularly kind to you, you've aged terribly," she stated calmly in her heavy Eastern European accented English, earning herself a muffled grumble from her great nephew. However, her stern look melted away the moment she turned to Eudora who smiled brightly at the elderly relative. "Eudora, my darling, so good to see you. You haven't changed a bit."

Eudora Addams could practically  _hear_ her dear husband's eyes roll in annoyance. At the tender age of a hundred-and-four, great aunt Aurora was the oldest living Addams. She was also of an unshakable opinion that all the Addams men were cads with silver tongues and dooming charms. A nearly century-long life among various male specimens of Addams clan had yet to prove her wrong.

"And you, auntie. I'm so glad you could come," Eudora gave Aurora a gentle hug and introduced her to Morticia's parents.

Aurora greeted them warmly but immediately after regarded them with a rather disapproving look.

"I hope you do realize that you're marrying your daughter off to one of the biggest womanizers this town has ever seen?" The elderly lady pointed out and without waiting for their reply turned to her nephew, pointing at him with her walking stick. "And where is that cad of a son of yours, nephew?" She enquired eagerly and not for the first time Salvador marvelled upon the fact that whenever Aurora referred to his son in less than favourable terms she always looked straight at him. As if his wife had no part in the parenting of Gomez Addams."I want to meet that unfortunate girl he managed to bewitch into marrying him."

If Mr Frump didn't take an instant liking to great aunt Aurora Addams, then that would be the very moment when she would have become his favourite Addams of all times. His face practically glowed and he grinned at her, happily offering the stern looking lady his arm.

"Allow me, madam, it will my great honour to escort you to meet my darling daughter," he said, patting her wrinkled hand affectionately as he merrily lead her inside.

* * *

Morticia smiled happily at her handsome fiancé as they twirled around the dance floor, immersed in exuberant rhythms that filled the vast ballroom. They danced together marvellously, their movements perfectly synchronized, sensual and fluid as if they have danced together since forever, earning them appreciative looks from their guests. Not that either of them noticed, for their eyes were only for each other.

Gomez gazed admiringly at his bride-to-be, enjoying the way her floor-length, deep purple dress moved against her body when she danced. She looked simply dazzling - embroidered bodice and capped sleeves exposed the white skin of her smooth arms and supple back, making his mouth go dry at her perfection. Every time his eyes travelled to her gloriously sexy, ruby lips he was reminded of their encounter in the garden and Gomez had to suppress a groan as the sensual images assaulted him so ferociously he almost forgot how to breathe.

"You have one track mind, darling," Morticia whispered next to his ear knowingly. She felt Gomez's chest reverberate with a sheepish laughter. Next thing she knew, he dipped her precariously low and his devilishly handsome face was only breath away from hers.

"I can't help it, cara," he admitted hoarsely against her lips before nuzzling her cheek gently. "The image of your lips on me is imprinted in my brain forever and it sets my blood on fire every time I think of it," he whispered fervently against the soft skin of her neck eliciting a soft laugh out of her. Suddenly, something round and heavy whacked him in the head and he was so stunned, he almost dropped her. "What the hell -," he bellowed, turning sharply, Morticia still in his arms, and was faced with the stern look of Aurora Addams - her walking stick firmly in her bony hand, and his, extremely amused-looking, almost father-in-law standing next to her.

"Look who's here, son!"Mortimer bellowed cheerfully pointing at the elderly lady with both hands as if he was presenting Gomez with the greatest gift of all time and grinned at him."Your great-aunt Aurora was  _so_  eager to see you."

"Figures," Gomez muttered, rubbing his head. "Birds of a feather flock together."

His aunt raised her walking stick with every intention of whacking him again, but Gomez moved out of the way just in time.

Morticia's eyes widened in shock as she watched him grab the elderly lady with a gentleness of a butcher and dip her in the very same position he did her just seconds ago. Aurora gave out a shriek of surprise and her walking stick hit the marble floor with a loud thud. Morticia thought she also heard the sound of bones cracking.

"Let go of me, you sinful rake!" Bellowed the old lady but Morticia thought there was a clear note of amusement in her voice. She couldn't help but smile, she found her accented English truly charming.

"Only if you promise to keep that walking stick to yourself, seniora."

"Release me this instant or I shall turn you into a toad... and I mean it this time!"

Gomez laughed heartily and, once his aunt was back on her feet, kissed her hand gallantly, bowing excessively low.

"Gomez, you're still incorrigible," Aurora Addams said with all the sternness she could summon and swatted Gomez's chest for a good measure, but he only grinned at her dashingly. She still thought him a rake but she admitted, somewhat reluctantly, that he was an irresistibly charming rake.

"I try," Gomez replied earning himself an exasperated glare. "Aunt Aurora, allow me to introduce you to my beautiful fiancée, Morticia," he said proudly and she watched him wrap his arm around the ebony-haired women's impossibly thin waist."My dear, our great-aunt Aurora - the toughest cookie there is," he added, earning himself another whack in the head and Morticia started to worry her beloved was going to end up with a serious concussion by the end of this party.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, madam," Morticia greeted politely with a warm smile, shaking her hand gently.

"Oh, but you're absolutely stunning," Aurora praised warmly, before turning to Gomez and adding harshly. "Devil only knows, how did you manage to bewitch such a lovely creature," she added and next to her Mortimer almost squealed with glee.

"The jury's still out on who bewitched whom, madam," Morticia replied diplomatically, looking lovingly at her future husband, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, to her father's utter dismay.

The older lady laughed contentedly at her comment, pleased to see the young couple so enamoured with each other.

"Welcome to the family, my dear," she said softly. "And please call me aunt Aurora."

Before Morticia could reply, the older woman extended her skinny hand towards her again and regarded her with an expectant look. Morticia blinked in confusion at the unexpected gesture, hesitating for a split second before politely slipping her pale hand into Aurora's one. Her eyes widened in surprise and she gasped audibly when the older lady yanked her towards her with a surprising force, for someone who practically looked like a bag of bones, and looked intently at Morticia's open palm, her bright blue eyes narrowing in concentration. Morticia observed in astonishment as Aurora gazed studiously at her hand, slowly following the lines on her palm with her thumb, nodding and grunting in the process. Morticia turned her head towards her fiancé for an explanation, but he only raised his hand in a gesture of surrender and gave out an unconcerned shrug, not even attempting to make sense of his aunt's peculiar behaviour. After a few long seconds, the older woman's face brightened and she graced Morticia with a satisfied smile."Ah, a witch," she stated confidently with an obvious delight.

Morticia blinked, utterly taken aback by her words and quickly classifying the meeting with Gomez's aunt as the top ten most bizarre encounters of her life, but nevertheless, she decided to respectfully wait for the other woman to continue.

"And what a powerful aura, most impressive," Aurora continued appreciated without realising Morticia's hand. "Hmmm, yes, yes the dark forces are drawn to you. No doubt there is an enormous potential here," she stated impressed."Who's tutoring you, child?"

"Madame Skavinsky,"she replied slowly, trying to get her head around this unexpected situation.

"Ah! So  _you're_  Valeria's girl,"she stated confidently." I saw her just last week, she has spoken very highly of you,"Aurora praised."I must agree with her though, your aura is most uncommon."

"Thank you," Morticia nodded, politely accepting the compliment and then, as if struck by a sudden thought, her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God," she whispered as the recognition, who the old lady exactly was, dawned upon her. She turned to look at Gomez, who was already smoking his cigar, and she almost gasped in delight. "Do you  _know_ who that is?"She blurted, pointing at the older lady.

"The star of all of my childhood nightmares,"he deadpanned, finding her excitement highly amusing, but earning himself a vicious glare from his great aunt and a gentle swat on the arm from his fiancée.

Her father, however, was looking at her with an unconcealed confusion and she knew it was because such a giddy reaction was completely unlike her, but  _this_  was Aurora Addams,  _the_ Aurora Addams.

"My aunt gave me your 'Introduction to the Dark Arts' when I was just a little girl," she said in complete awe, wrapping both of her hands around Aurora's bony hand."You've inspired my passion for the subject."

Aurora smiled at the young woman's eagerness, patting her slender, pale hands in an affectionate, motherly gesture.

"Ah, yes the Dark Arts  _are_ most fascinating," she agreed."And I sense that you have a natural aptitude for it."

"It means so much to me for you to say that," Morticia practically beamed at her and Aurora slipped her hand under her arm causally leading her away, paying no mind to Morticia's bemused father and fiancé."I have been struggling with seeking out the dark forces for weeks now,"Morticia admitted and the old lady nodded sympathetically.

"Demons are pesky, moody creatures, my dear, but you see the trick is to…."

Gomez and Mr Frump watched, utterly taken aback, as the two women walked away immersed in an animated conversation, without so much as a glance at them.

Gomez turned to his future father-in-law and pointed at the retreating women.

"She's still marrying me, right?"

Mr Frump laughed despite himself and regarded the young man with an affectionate look, well...almost.

"She better, the dowry has already been agreed."

* * *

Gomez Addams took a long, slow, irritated draw of his cigar as he scanned the buzzing ballroom for at least third time this evening in a search for his fiancée, whom he saw only briefly after she was whisked away by his great aunt over on hour ago. Every time he managed to get a brief hold of her, she was almost instantly snatched away by his various relatives eager to meet her. They were all understandably enchanted by his sweet querida, but the thought quenched his annoyance only slightly as he longed to hold her in his arms desperately.

"Lost someone?"

Gomez grinned, releasing the grey cloud of fragrant smoke from his lips, turning to the owner of the amused voice.

"Alex," he greeted his friend and they hugged affectionately. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it, old man."

"Ha!"The blond man exclaimed with disbelief." I would never miss Gomez Addams putting himself willingly into the old ball and chains," he laughed heartily giving Gomez a fierce pat on the back."My parents send their congratulations, they are really sorry to miss your engagement, but they will come back in time for the wedding. We could hardly believe our eyes when we've got your invitation!"

Gomez laughed and smoothed his hand over his pomaded hair.

"Well it sort of happened...all of a sudden," Gomez explained making a circular gesture with his hand."We've met at my cousin's funeral four weeks ago and I proposed the very night," he grinned caddishly.

"Of course you did, my friend," Alex laughed, completely unperturbed by his friend's peculiar behaviour. "Speaking of...where is the lady of your heart?"

"I fear she might have left me for my elderly aunt," Gomez uttered dramatically.

"What?"His friend regarded him with a confused look.

"If you're looking for your fiancée," Wedge interrupted cheerfully before Gomez could explain anything further." She's with my wife and aunt Aurora in the parlour...along with about a dozen other women, "he added, grinning at his cousin's crestfallen expression. "Everyone wants to meet the woman who's enchanted Gomez Addams. Although, who could blame you? She's absolutely mesmerizing, Gomez, you lucky dog," Wedge complimented before turning to Alex. "Alex, good to see you, old man!"

"Wedge," Alex said shaking Wedge's extended hand vigorously.

The three men barely made it to the table to pick up their champagne flutes when they heard approaching steps.

"Gomez, darling,"a gentle voice cooed behind them.

"Aunt Lilith," Gomez greeted politely as the plump, black-haired woman, accompanied by her youngest son Alexei, came to stand before him. Gomez placed a soft kiss on her hand, and as Lilith was exchanging greetings with Wedge, he smiled at his young cousin. "Alexei, dear me, look at you! All grown up!"

Alexei smiled shyly and shook Gomez's extended hand.

"Hello, Gomez," he said pleasantly, but Gomez frowned slightly sensing that something made the young man extremely uneasy. "Congratulations, we have just met your fiancée."

"Thank you,"he smiled at the young man before him.

"Oh, Gomez, she's just stunning. You make a truly beautiful couple," Lilith beamed. "Even Vlad said so."

A smile evaporated from Gomez's face at her words and he suddenly understood Alexei's unease.

"Vlad?" he asked with a forced nonchalance that did not go unnoticed by Alex, who frowned noticing his best friend's posture tense so profoundly he thought he might snap.

"Yes,' Alexei confirmed warily. "Morticia mentioned that you guys met the other night…"

"Indeed," he nodded watching his young cousin with increased worry as Alexei looked at him pointedly and discreetly motioned his head in the direction of the parlour. "Excuse me," Gomez said, handing his drink to Alex. "I must go find my fiancée."

"Gomez, everything ok?" His friend queried worriedly, not missing the furtive exchange between the two men.

Gomez did not bother replying as he made his way through the crowd of dancing people, his face clouding with an ineffable fury. He could not believe the audacity of that stupid bastard. He really hoped Vlad had enough of a brain not to show up after the asinine stunt he pulled at the restaurant, but alas. Apparently, more persuasion was required.

He entered the parlour with a barely conceived anger but, to his dismay, Morticia was no longer there. He felt a dull apprehension setting itself in his gut as he approached aunt Aurora who was currently in an animated conversation with Morticia's mother.

"Have you seen, Morticia?"

"Yes, dear," Hester replied, oblivious to the unease of her daughter's fiancé."You just missed her, your charming cousin Vlad asked her to dance."

Gomez turned on his heel without a word and stormed off of the parlour, leaving his aunt and Hester completely stunned.

"Now, what was that all about?" Ophelia approached her mother, frowning at Gomez's frantic behaviour.

"Hell, if I know," her mother replied with a shrug. "He asked for Morticia and stormed off when I told him she went dancing with cousin Vlad."

Ophelia's eyes went wide.

"Oh, shit," she muttered and followed Gomez on his trail.

Hester raised her arms in a gesture of a complete bemusement and looked at Aunt Aurora searchingly for an explanation for this odd behaviour, but the older woman just shrugged, equally confused.

* * *

In retrospect, Morticia knew that agreeing to dance with Vlad was not her brightest moment, but, in her own defence, she didn't want to cause a scene and deal with the uncomfortable questions that would inevitably follow if she refused his offer to dance.

Still, she had to admit she has never encountered someone who had a more of an idiotic deathwish than Vladimir Addams.

She was incredibly uncomfortable and her body felt awfully rigid as he led her to the dance floor and wrapped his arm around her waist. Morticia scanned the ballroom in hope to spot Gomez, but unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Morticia," Vlad said silky, sensing her discomfort. "No need to be so tense, my love."

She looked at him sharply.

"Don't call me that," she demanded coldly.

"I just wanted to apologise… for my inexcusable behaviour the other night," he said with what seemed like a concrete sincerity, but Morticia didn't like the way he looked at her, like he wanted to possess her. "Gomez and I have some issues," he continued. "But it was unfair to involve you in it. For that, I apologise."

Morticia felt her body relax, if only marginally, and she nodded, accepting the apology.

Vlad smiled at her, obviously pleased with her reaction and pivoted her skillfully into the exuberant rhythm.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered and Morticia felt his hand creep up the bare skin of her back.

If she wasn't so absolutely and utterly stunned that he dared to touch her so intimately in a ballroom full of people, she would react quicker - but alas, before she could comprehend what was going on Vlad pulled her closer and forced his lips on hers.

It was only for a split second that his lips touched Morticia's before a low growl reverberated behind Vlad and he felt a heavy hand on his arm. He turned in surprise to see Addams' butler, Lurch, staring at him contemptuously; a tray filled with a champagne bottle and crystal glasses in his hand. He snorted disrespectfully at the servant and turned back to Morticia who looked at him in what could only be described as an outraged wrath before grabbing the heavy, green champagne bottle from Lurch's tray with such an incredible speed that Vlad only registered what happened when he found himself on the marble floor with a bleeding skull and pounding headache, surrounded by a shattered glass.

In a matter of seconds, they were surrounded by a curious crowd of people, always eager for a good bloodshed, none even attempting to help Vlad to his feet, realizing quickly that he most likely deserved it.

Morticia was still fuming with anger when she spotted Gomez and his father making their way through the crowd of people.

"What the hell happened?" Salvador asked calmly, noticing Vlad spread on the floor with a blood oozing from his skull.

Morticia bit her lower lip, her breathing still coming in short, vexed draws as she waited for Gomez to join her side before replying.

"He kissed me," was all she said, arching her shapely eyebrow and crossing her arms defensively.

Gomez looked at the damage she caused to his cousin and laughed loudly.

"Querida," he said affectionately and wrapped his arms around her proudly. "You dealt with it in a true Addams' fashion," he complimented placing a firm kiss on her lips.

"Crazy, frigid  _bitch_ …" Vlad hissed in pain, touching the wound on his skull and winced as he watched his finger stain with a crimson blood.

"Excuse me, cara mia," he placed a quick kiss on her hand. "I must go and kill my cousin."

* * *

The old, wooden swing-bench creaked quietly under the weight of its occupant, disrupting the contemplative silence as the night tentatively surrendered to the cracks of dawn, allowing them to slowly penetrate its eerie darkness. Morticia settled gracefully next to her fiancé on the bench, handing him a glass full of wine. She swung her legs over Gomez's lap and leaned towards him, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Don't brood, darling," she said tenderly."It doesn't suit you," she added, taking a sip of the burgundy liquid.

He growled in reply and she laughed quietly, placing her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

He was very ostentatiously projecting his displeasure over the fact that he was not allowed to kill his cousin. Not only, he said, the bastard deserved it but not following on his promise to kill Vlad if he ever so much as touched Morticia, made him feel like a fraud. Gomez Addams may be a cad but he was as good as his word.

However, as dear cousin Itt rightly pointed out, entertaining as it might have been, the killing of his cousin would be inevitably followed by a murder investigation, which in turn might delay both the wedding  _and_ the honeymoon. Gomez had to agree that killing Vlad was certainly not worth it. Not to mention, Gomez only recently has been cleared of Balthazar's murder.

Hence, unfortunate as it may be, Vlad must be allowed to live a bit longer.

"He deserves to have his stupid head chopped off," he groused petulantly, taking a hearty sip of his wine.

"Hmmm, that's true," she agreed, leaning closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and felt his body relax next to her, his right arm embracing her comfortably as he twirled with the long tresses of her ebony hair. "Your aunt was most grateful for sparing his life, though,"she added pointedly.

Gomez winced, shifting uncomfortably. He knew he owed her an explanation, but that would also mean admitting to her that all the rumours about him were true, even if in this particular case he was innocent. Of course, he was not an idiot and neither was she, he was sure she was aware of his less than pristine reputation, although they have never actually discussed it. Yet, somehow voicing something that until now coursed between then as an implicit knowledge felt to him unbearable.

"Gomez," she said gently, turning his face towards her. "This... thing Vlad is accusing you of..."she started but hesitated, she didn't want to antagonize him any further, but if anything, she felt he owed her an explanation for what occurred tonight. Somehow, she doubted any man would go to such length, as Vlad did, if he didn't believe he was unforgivably wronged.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back with a silent groan, growing increasingly angry at his damned cousin for opening his stupid mouth in the first place. Yet he knew that Morticia, more than anyone, deserved to know the truth.

"He thinks I'm the reason his fiancée left him," he whispered after a minute, choosing his words carefully.

Morticia looked at him silently, licked her suddenly dry lips and asked warily: "And are you?"

Gomez gave out a mirthless laugh and looked into her eyes but found no judgment there, only mild curiosity mixed with a fair amount of apprehension and he knew instantly that whatever answer he gave her, she would accept it. He didn't know if that should make him pleased or worried. Perhaps both.

"Well...yes," he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders and felt her tense a little next to him but she remained silent. "But not in the way you think."

Morticia frowned slightly in confusion and looked up, meeting his half-lidded eyes.

"So what happened?" She prompted.

"He...abused her," he admitted, inhaling deeply before continuing, his fingers still playing with her silky hair. "I came over to his place one evening - we were supposed to go out to the city, and I heard them arguing - which wasn't anything unusual, they were always fighting or arguing. She used to throw kitchen knives at him…you know, pretty harmless, fun stuff," he explained with a small smile at the memory." I entered the library and saw her at her knees, clutching her bleeding nose and... Vlad was pulling at her hair - stupid bastard was drunk, he roughed her up pretty badly. I got really angry...I might have beaten the hell out of him," he admitted."I think I also broke his nose."

Morticia nodded faintly.

"So, she left him after that?"

"Not at first,"he shook his head, before continuing."She didn't have a place to stay so, after I took her to the hospital, we went to my apartment and she stayed for a couple of days."

"Okay," Morticia said impassively, but lifted her head from his shoulder and taking a sip of her wine. Her mouth felt uncomfortably dry.

"Nothing happened. I swear," he explained promptly not wanting her to get wrong ideas. "She wanted to...I think but... " He hesitated and his face creased in an uncomfortable frown. "She was so vulnerable, she confused my … I don't know… kindness... with something else and I didn't want to take an advantage of her like that. Unfortunately, she took it as a rejection, so you know...it got a bit awkward."

Morticia released a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding and slipped her hand into his giving it a gentle squeeze, silently encouraging him to continue.

"Anyway, long story short, I eventually convinced her to leave Vlad and she decided to go back to her mother's. Bought her a ticket and gave her some money," Gomez continued sipping his wine slowly. "Vlad was shocked when he found out and naturally got really pissed. He called me a bastard and a traitor, he said I wooed her and broke her heart and that's why she left him and wants nothing to do with him,"he turned to her, looking straight into her almond-shaped eyes."He said I destroyed his only chance for happiness, just as I destroyed my brother's" he added and blinked furiously, his voice almost breaking and Morticia was surprised at the amount of guilt laced into his voice."And I guess, he's probably right."

" _You_ destroyed?"She asked in disbelief." And he thinks that being violent towards her had nothing to do with it?"

"Yeah, but you see it was  _me_  who took her away that night,  _I_ convinced her to leave him," he explained turning towards her, looking straight into her dark eyes."She had neither the courage nor the money to leave him - Vlad knew that, so he sees me as an agent who destroyed his relationship and now it rubs him the wrong way to see my happiness when I robbed him of his."

"But you did the right thing,"she insisted."You saved that girl's life in a long term."

He laughed gently at her words.

"You make me sound so noble,"he said in a self-deprecating tone as if the idea of him doing something even remotely noble was simply ridiculous.

Morticia frowned slightly, not sure what to make of his comment.

"Does his mother know?" she asked instead.

"No, I mean I don't know, but I don't think so,"he faltered." I didn't ...it happened shortly after my uncle died. She took it very hard and I didn't want to add to her grief with the knowledge that her precious son was a good for nothing, woman-beating douchebag," he said and then frowned at his own words. "Except, he wasn't always such a douchebag," he added slowly more to himself than to her and drained his wine. He suddenly looked very tired.

Morticia rested her head on his shoulder again, silently digesting what he's just told her. She was surprised how relieved she felt that there was nothing of substance in Vlad's accusation. She must have been unknowingly dreading the answer, she realized. Even though, of course, she heard of his reputation; and then there was the situation with his brother, that they talked about only briefly. He didn't dodge the subject per se, but she could see it upset him to talk about it and she didn't feel comfortable prodding him further.

Morticia bit her lips in a silent contemplation and, not for the first time, pondered on the reasons her father was, at least initially, less than thrilled with his future son-in-law. In his eyes, she knew, Morticia was incredibly naive, putting her heart in the hands of a man who was a well-known dandy, never seen with the same woman longer than few weeks and here he was, proposing to his daughter mere hours after laying his eyes on her. He thought they were grounding the stability and happiness of their marriage on fleeting and unreliable notions of passion and love-at-first-sight.

She supposed, ultimately, her father was right. She was in a very vulnerable position, for Gomez  _could_  easily break her heart and a life without him...it would simply destroy her, she was certain of that. She was aware that putting so much trust in him defied all logic. And yet, she simply  _wanted_  to trust him so desperately she willingly convinced herself he was a reliable keeper of her heart. She knew she loved him, she loved him with a love so fierce and all-consuming that she could hardly remember how she managed to live without him so far.

She must have stayed silent for quite a while, because she felt Gomez shifting uncomfortably next to her.

"Tish…"he whispered hesitantly, putting his empty wine glass away on the wooden floor. He watched her gaze at him with uncertainty and he hated it, because he realized that she might feel unsure of him and, although he understood it, he loathed the very thought of it. He took her half-full glass away from her and set it next to his. His warm hands embraced hers and he placed a soft kiss next to the engagement ring."I love you so much, querida,"he whispered."I can't bear the thought that you might not trust me."

"I do trust you," she countered immediately and he smiled graciously at the fire in her voice.

"But you have doubts." He stated confidently, looking into her dark eyes and saw a flicker of embarrassment in them. He smiled somewhat sadly at her. "Cara mia, I don't want you to marry me when your heart is filled with doubts," he said tracing the engagement ring lightly with his thumb. "I swear to you, I never wanted anyone the way I want you. You are my whole life and I love you," he whispered passionately. "All the things you've heard about me… the women, drinking, gambling...it's all true. I never claimed otherwise, "he admitted silently. "And your father is absolutely right, I don't deserve you."

"Don't say…" she started to say but he closed his eyes briefly and shook his head in a gesture that asked her to allow him to continue, so she bit her lips and waited for him to say what he wanted to say.

"I  _don't_  deserve you," he repeated firmly and brought his hands to her face, caressing the marble of her skin. "But that night - when I first saw you, I thought...I thought that you will be my new life, my second chance," he admitted with a small, embarrassed laugh."I thought, there's no way in hell this dark angel would love a cad like me...that you deserve so much better. But if - by some miracle, you would agree to be mine, I would devote my whole life to your happiness alone, I would worship you forever and I would become the man you deserve."

Morticia looked at him, startled by his confession and felt her eyes welled up with tears. She blinked furiously but to no avail; she felt a lonely tear trickle down her cheek.

"Don't cry, querida," he whispered wiping her damp cheek gently with his thumb.

"Gomez," Morticia whispered, her voice rough with emotions. She grabbed his hands that were still framing her face. "I  _do_  trust you and I love you so much," she said and placed a loving kiss on the inside of his palm."It's just…," she hesitated, closing her eyes briefly.

"What?" he asked apprehensively.

She looked at him and suddenly pushed herself up gracefully to sit on his lap, her palms pressing to his chest before she grabbed and tugged at his white shirt, pulling him closer. "I don't want you to ever say that you don't deserve me," she said firmly and sealed her request with a fierce kiss. "I hate that you even think like that."

"It's the truth, though, cara mia."

She shook her head and kissed him again.

"Promise me," she demanded, her lips nipping at his.

He grinned at her."I promise."

"Don't even think it."

He laughed quietly, but then his expression sobered again. "Do you still have doubts?"

She shook her head gently."I love you," she repeated, grazing his cheek lightly with her long, red nails. "I want nothing more than to be your wife. It's just...sometimes...it scares me how fast and intense this thing between us is."

"I know," he nodded understandingly. "It's insane."

"It is," she confirmed and smiled at him lovingly. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Nah, neither would I," he agreed and brought his hand to her face smoothing a strand of her silky hair behind her ear in a gentle gesture. "But I don't want any secrets between us, cara. I trust you with my heart and with my life, and I dare to ask the same of you."

Morticia nodded and looked at him tenderly.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," she said placing a soft kiss on his full lips."For better, for worse and for whatever lies in between, mon amour."She smirked as she felt his fingers dig into the soft flesh of her hips, followed an unmistakable low growl.

"Oh Tish...that's French."

* * *

"No, no, no! You are not concentrating, child."

For an umpth time this afternoon, an exasperated voice echoed throughout the grimness of Addams family graveyard.

For the first time in her life, Morticia Frump was grateful for all the years she was forced to be Ophelia's sparring partner for her judo and karate practice. She thought it was the only reason as to why her bones were still intact.

When Aurora Addams called her unexpectedly in the morning and offered to tutor her in summoning the dark forces, she agreed instantly and almost burst with excitement at the prospect. Even Ophelia commented that she seemed more excited for the magic practice with Aurora than for her upcoming nuptials. Which, of course, Morticia thought was quite ridiculous. Nevertheless, one simply did not pass on the opportunity to seek out the dark forces in a company of one of the most famous witches of their times.

Summoning demons was not an easy task. Obviously. It was an incredibly complex task as it was easy for an untrained witch to become possessed by one. Hence, Aurora decided that they would first practice defence against a demon attack before attempting to summon one.

Humiliation was not even close to describing Morticia's current state of being. She didn't know what she expected but being flung across the muddy yard by an hundred-and-four year- old witch didn't even cross her mind once.

Less than one hour into the practice, Morticia hasn't managed to repel a single spell the older lady performed on her. She was thrown across the barren land adjacent to the Addams graveyard more times that she thought was decent, her dress and hair were caked in a mud, for naturally, when it finally decided to rain it was on the night preceding her magic practice. Every single bone in her body ached and so was her wounded ego.

"Are you planning on laying down in the mud for the rest of the day?" Aurora Addams asked calmly above her, holding her walking stick for support.

"It certainly seems that way," Morticia answered lifting herself on her elbows and blowing a stray strand of hair from her face, but did not make a further move to stand up.

Aurora smirked at her.

"Humility is a crucial aspect of achieving mastery, Morticia," the older lady commented."You have a great talent and even greater potential, but that's no reason to get cocky," she said pointedly."You need to focus, otherwise, you won't last thirty seconds in front of a demon. It will sense your hesitation and your inexperience."

"Yes, ma'am," Morticia said sheepishly.

"I can sense your thoughts are scattered all around. Morticia. A witch like you should be able to repel those spells instantly," Aurora reprimanded."Devil only knows what were you thinking about...or rather  _whom_ ," she added disapprovingly and another smirk graced her thin lips.

"I'm sorry," Morticia said aware that a pink tint coloured her cheeks at her suggestion. If there was ever a good time for the earth to open and swallow her whole, she thought, now would be about perfect. She was so embarrassed that she didn't even attempt to lift herself off the muddy ground.

They were interrupted by the gentle laugh from the direction of the house. They both turned their heads to see a very amused Eudora Addams approaching, Lurch behind her with a silver tray of a steaming teapot and three porcelain teacups in his hands.

"I told you not to be fooled by her frail - looking - old - lady demeanor, Morticia," Mrs Addams came to stand before her soon to be daughter-in-law,grinning at the sight of usually beautiful and very elegant young lady now covered in various smudges of dirt, mud and bruises from her numerous falls. She extended her hand to help her to her feet. "She's as vicious as she's brilliant."

"I've just learnt that the hard way," Morticia muttered with a smile, accepting Eudora's assistance. Once back on her feet, she took one good look at herself and immediately decided that she was in a desperate need of a shower and a change of clothes.

Eudora smiled and gently wiped her now mud stained hand into her black, silk handkerchief.

"Auntie, you must give this girl a break," she turned to the older lady who was already sitting on the stone bench enjoying her henbane tea."The wedding is in ten days, she cannot be covered with scratches and bruises."

"She wouldn't be if she focused on defending off my spells instead of thinking of that damn son of yours," Aurora grunted sipping the steamy liquid and looking at Eudora pointedly.

"They are in love, they're getting married!"Eudora defended." Of course she's distracted."

"Hmmmm."

Eudora shook her head in amusement and turned to Morticia.

"I have called your mother to prepare you a change of clothes, Lurch will go and get it for you. I told Hester you will stay with us for dinner, I hope you don't mind."

"Of course she won't mind, Gomez will be there after all," Aurora interjected teasingly over the rim of her porcelain cup, clearly enjoying Morticia's embarrassment.

"Stop teasing her, you old witch" Eudora scolded affectionately, drawing a chuckle from the elderly lady.

"It's quite alright, Mrs Addams,"Morticia smiled softly at her future mother-in-law while attempting to pick up a small twig entwined in her hair."I deserve it."

"Oh nonsense, your only concern  _should_  be your upcoming wedding," Eudora countered as sat down next to Aurora and accepted a steaming teacup from Lurch."Thank you, Lurch," she smiled graciously. "Lurch, why don't you show Morticia to the guest room, I'm sure she'd like to freshen up."

Morticia looked again at her dress and then lifted a mud-covered strand of her black hair, raising her eyebrow in amusement.

"Might be a good idea," she agreed with a small sigh and followed Lurch back to the house.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Eudora turned to the older lady on her right.

"You're too hard on that girl, auntie."

"Nonsense," Auroral huffed into her cup. "One does not become a great witch without getting her hands dirty, you know that."

"I do," Eudora agreed, leaning further back into the stone bench."But you can see for yourself that she has only one thing on her mind at the moment."

"Love," the older lady said with unexpected wistfulness.

Eudora nodded and eyed her curiously.

"You're really fond of her, aren't you?" She observed casually. "I haven't seen you being so taken by anyone in a long time."

Aurora snorted and shrugged her shoulders noncommittally.

"She's a smart and lovely girl and she'll be a powerful witch," she admitted finally and turned her head slightly to look at her great niece. "If she commits herself to the art. It'd be indeed a pity if such a vast talent was wasted for the sake of a man."

"You're becoming awfully cynical in your old age," Eudora replied teasingly.

"Indeed," Auroral nodded solemnly."But I would hate to see her heart broken."

"Gomez loves her very much," Eudora countered defensively. "He would never hurt her."

"I hope you're right, my dear,"she patted Eudora's hand affectionately.

"You like to worry, Auntie."

Aurora snorted defensively."Darling, with your son's track record, I would say you don't worry enough."

"Oh, auntie, I worry plenty, you know that," Eudora said sadly, then bit her lower lip and took a deep breath of the hot July air. "But she makes him so happy, it gives me hope that maybe...maybe this will be a start of a happier life...for all of us," she admitted squeezing Aurora's hand as she felt her eyes filling with tears.

"Indeed, we've had enough grief in this family lately," she whispered.

* * *

Lurch opened the back door of the car and took out the neatly placed black, leather bag of clothes Mrs Frump gave him to bring to her daughter. He barely made it through the door of the Addams mansion when he heard the door to the library open with a gentle swish and Salvador Addams emerged, dressed in an expensive burgundy stripe suit.

"There you are Lurch, old man, prepare the car would you, I have an urgent business meeting in the Savoy," he said casually lightning his cigar. "Is Gomez back home yet?"

Lurch was about to reply but at that very moment the front door burst open and young Mr Addams breezed through.

"Oh, son, how did it go with the Alfords?"

"Marvelously, they are the worst kind of deadbeats and parasites imaginable," he said cheerfully as he approached his father. "They will surely try to rob us at the first opportunity."

"Always a sign of a great accountant," Mr Addams said happily, clasping his hands together.

"Indeed, we've agreed to meet here tomorrow for lunch to finalize the details."

"Splendid," Mr Addams commended."I have an impromptu meeting with Robertson at the Savoy, please tell your mother I'll do my best to be back for dinner, but I can't promise," he said and turned to Lurch. "Ready to go, old man?"

Lurch growled and pointed at the bag in his hand.

"No worries, I'll take this," Gomez offered, extending his hand to take the bag but Lurch snatched it away shaking his head before he had a chance to grab it.

"Mrs Addams asked me to put it in the guestroom,"he growled slowly.

Salvador gave out an amused laugh.

"Well, your diligence is commendable, but I'm sure she will not hold it against you if Gomez will do it for you," he patted the giant on the back. "Now, come on off we go."

Mr Addams was out of the doors before Lurch could voice by protest, so he dutifully gave the bag to Gomez and shook his head with an exasperated growl before following Mr Addams out of the door.

Gomez watched him leave, bemused at his odd behaviour and once the door closed behind the butler he made his way upstairs. His mother hasn't mentioned they were having a guest, but then he's barely seen her in the morning before he left for the meeting with Alfords.

His father asked him to handle the business of acquiring a new accountant since their old one was killed last month during riots in Bolivia where he was vacationing. It meant a lot to Gomez that his father entrusted this to him and he wanted to make him proud, desperate to show him that his wasteful days of gallivanting from one seedy bar to another, all night long drinking escapades were things of the past.

Gomez reached the end of the east wing, where the guest rooms were located, and knocked on the mahogany door of the room he knew his mother liked to offer their guests. It was pleasantly dark and desolate, safe from that blasted July sunshine.

He frowned upon receiving no answer to his knocking, so he knocked again, but again was greeted with silence. He tried the handle and, to his surprise, the door opened. He went inside but the room was empty. He closed the door and went over to the four poster bed placing the bag on it. It appeared that no one was in the room as it was completely silent.

Gomez shrugged his shoulders in an unconcerned gesture and made his way to leave the room when the door to the adjacent bathroom opened abruptly.

"Forgive me, I was just about to … Tish?" He said in surprise as all rational thought proceeded to leave his brain at the sight of his gorgeous fiancée, clad in nothing more but a long, royal purple robe, her waist-long, wet hair swept to the back. He swallowed heavily.

"Gomez!" Morticia exclaimed, instinctively wrapping her robe tighter around her. "You startled me, darling."

She was obviously straight out of the shower, her usually milky skin was still flushed from the hot water and the fragrant scent of the soap filled the room.

Her face was devoid of her usual make - up and he thought it all made her look incredibly sensual.

"Forgive me, cara.I...I...Lurch brought this but he had to go...so I...," he mumbled pointing at the black leather bag on the bed trying desperately to organize his thoughts to form a coherent sentence.

"Thank you," she whispered in her low, sexy voice that made his inside turn as she made her way slowly towards him.

He could not stop staring at her, painfully aware how uncomfortable his trousers has suddenly become at the very thought that she wore absolutely nothing under that flimsy robe. She came to stand in front of him and regarded him with a coy smile, clearly pleased with his reaction to her.

"What...what happened to your face?" He asked in a concerned voice, pointing to the small bruise on her left cheek. He didn't dare to touch her, he knew the was no hope in hell he would be able to control himself if he did.

"Oh, that," Morticia said and gave out an unconcerned shrug."Your aunt threw me around the graveyard like a sack of potatoes."

Gomez nodded absently, as if it was a perfectly reasonable explanation, swallowing heavily as his eyes helplessly travelled over her body.

"Do you see something you like?" She teased softly and turned slowly towards the bed, reaching for the bag.

Her musky scent assaulted his senses so violently, he had to close his eyes tightly and press his thumb and forefinger into the space between his eyes in a vain attempt to re-focus his thoughts.

"Tish...don't tease,"he begged. He tried his best to take deep, controlled breaths to block the images of her but to no avail. She made his blood boil. He heard her amused chuckle. He opened his eyes and saw her carefully remove a black, silk and lace dress from the bag. A sudden annoyance burned in his gut at the thought that she was able to appear so blasé when his whole body was on fire. At that very moment he wanted nothing else but to have her under him, naked and begging for his touch, to feel the same desperate need that was eating at him.

Morticia praised herself inwardly for managing to appear so calm and collected when in fact her heart was hammering wildly in her chest at the very sight of him. She deliberately busied herself with the task of removing her dress to distract herself from thinking how devilishly handsome he looked in that charcoal grey pinstripe suit, how the scent of cigars and his earthy cologne, that she will forever associate with him, made her hands shake with desire. She thought she was doing remarkably well until she felt his hands slid around her lithe waist and his lips placed hot kisses on her shoulder and towards her neck. She moaned quietly with pleasure and, instinctively, her left arm curled around his neck as she turned her head to allow him greater access to devour her flesh.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured against her flushed skin. "Oh Tish, how can you be so calm when my blood is aflame at the mere sight of you?" He accused.

Morticia almost laughed at the sheer ludicrousy of his statement, because she was dead sure if he hadn't been holding her so tightly against him her knees would buckle.

She turned in his arms to look at him, her fingers tracing his jawline and he instantly knew that his assessment was utterly false, for while her body may not betray her need for him, her eyes were ablaze with love and passion. He brought his hot lips onto her ruby ones and she moaned encouragingly. His hand, emboldened by her reaction, slid into the opening of her robe to caress her breast. He heard her sharp intake if breath and felt her hands fist into his shirt.

"You like that, cara?" He whispered in a soft, sensual voice while gently nipping at her lips as his thumb flickered over her hardened nipple.

She could only nod as she felt the familiar tension building between her thighs and the lower belly. She watched him tilt his head and place a soft kiss on her collarbone while his right hand continued to caress her breast. She bit her lower lip in anticipation as his mouth travelled lower and his tongue flickered lightly over her hard nipple before capturing it between his lips. She moaned loudly and was glad he held her so tightly because her knees actually buckled.

She whispered his name in a breathy moan. He was making her dizzy with desire. She was dimly aware of his hand untying the knot on her robe and instinctively pressed her body against his. A tinge of embarrassment coursed through her mind. She thought it was illogical, truly ridiculous, to feel self-conscious at her own nakedness after they devoured each other in the garden a few nights ago, but then he's never seen her completely naked before and the very fact that he was still fully clothed while she was only covered in a thin robe made her feel unusually shy. She felt the material slip off her body and heard his sharp inhale of breath. She opened her eyes and saw him standing in front of her, openly devouring her body with his eyes as if she were a precious work of art and she felt a sudden surge of confidence at his reaction.

"Eres divina…" he whispered in awe at her perfection. He has never thought someone could be so irresistibly perfect. Her skin was milky white, her breasts were full and taunt, begging to be touched. His eyes travelled to her impossibly slim waist, her slender hips and her long, shapely legs. She was a goddess. And she belonged to him.

"Cara mia, I want to make love to you," he whispered.

Morticia watched him as he looked at her with a look of complete admiration and abandon, and was surprised how incredibly powerful it made her feel.

Emboldened, she took a slow step towards him and pressed herself against his slender, muscular body.

"Touch me, mon cher," she said in a low, sensual voice and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Make love to me."

It was all the encouragement he needed. He swept her off the floor in one swift move and carried her to the four poster bed, laying her across it. He immediately captured her lips in a searing kiss as he lay on top of her, his hands stroking and caressing her naked body as she moaned softly with pleasure.

Suddenly he lifted himself off of her to kneel on the bed and she groaned in disappointment.

"Patience, cara mia," he said amused but pleased at her eagerness as he hurriedly removed his blazer and a bow tie.

Morticia couldn't stop staring at him as he stripped off his shirt. She thought he was the most magnificent man - slender yet strong, his olive skin stretched over his toned muscles and glistering with a slight perspiration. She slid her hands slowly across his tights and watched the muscles on his stomach contract in anticipation.

"You're beautiful, mon cher," she whispered appreciatively.

Gomez smiled at her words and settled himself back on top of her.

Morticia gasped silently at the feeling of her naked breasts against his chest. His skin seemed hot and the hair on his chest tickled her, she purred at the sensation as her hands explored his body tentatively. She kissed the pulsing vein on his neck and was pleased when he groaned with pleasure.

His lips captured hers in an ardent kiss and he grabbed a fist of her black tendrils.

"Gomez," she said hesitantly when his hand slid across her stomach.

He stopped his ministrations abruptly and looked at her tenderly.

"What is it, querida, tell me," his voice was rasped with desire but he didn't want her to have any second thoughts.

"I don't really know what I'm doing," she admitted gently, her hands resting on his broad chest. Seeing a confusion cross his handsome face she inhaled deeply and bit her lower lip before explaining: "I've never, you know...done it before."

It took him a moment to register what she was telling him.

"You never...with anyone?" He blurted stupidly because it never crossed his mind that she could be inexperienced. The way she kissed him, so passionately and without reservation, her touch, although uncertain, was far from unskilled. God, he couldn't sleep for days after their midnight encounter in her parents' garden, there was no way she has never done it before.

She looked amused at his shocked expression.

"No, never… with anyone," she confirmed.

He supposed it was some deeply buried chauvinism in him but her admission pleased him immensely - the mere thought that she belonged to  _him_  and no one else. He couldn't help the feeling of proprietary satisfaction that swept through him.

"Would it matter if I had?" She interrupted his thoughts, a slight frown crossing her pale forehead.

"No," he replied immediately with utmost sincerity, kissing the tip of her nose tenderly. "It's just...the way you..."

She laughed gently at his suggestion.

"Well, I know the  _theory_ ," she said humorously and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't forget, darling, I lived with Ophelia for nineteen years."

"Point well taken,"he grinned and leaned down to kiss her again.

She moaned deliciously when he slipped his tongue into her mouth as they deepened their kiss when a sudden, loud knock reverberated through the room and they both turned sharply towards the noise, but before they had a chance to react Eudora Addams entered the room.

"My dear, I thought you'd like…" she started but stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her. "Oh, for goodness sake, Gomez!" She bellowed and covered her eyes with her hand, embarrassment colouring her neck and cheeks. "How, in the seven hells, did you even know she was here?!"

Before any of them could explain, the matriarch of the Addams family spooned abruptly on her heel and left the room, shutting the doors after her with a loud bang.

"Next time have some decency to at least lock the damn door!"Came her annoyed voice followed by her angry retreating steps.

" _Oh_.  _My_.  _God_ ," Morticia groaned, mortified and covered her face with her hands.

The sexual energy, that just seconds ago penetrated their entire beings, was squashed as if it never existed in the first place.

"This is just uncanny," Gomez growled. "Every single bloody time."

He looked down at his fiancée who was still covering her face but was now shaking with laughter. He peeled her hands off gently and frowned at her.

"This is  _not_  funny."

"I know, darling," she agreed and looked at him tenderly, trying to summon more serious expression, but failing miserably. It wasn't that she was happy with the interruption, it's just the sheer amount of times it happened to them was so ludicrous it was simply laughable.

"It's tragic," he said and kissed her laughing lips. He slid off of her and picked her robe from the floor. "Get dressed, cara, I'm taking you out," he said and threw her the robe.

"Where?" She asked slipping back into the soft garment.

"Dancing."

"Dancing?"

"Dancing," he confirmed."After I take the coldest showers in the history of humanity."

* * *

Gomez sat at the kitchen table, his chair tilted and feet propped against the table, ubiquitous cigar between his teeth patiently listening to his mother berating him while also putting finishing touches to her famous yak stew. His mother was still fuming for, as she put it, "trying to take advantage of that darling girl". Apparently, in this whole situation, he was a hopeless cad and Morticia an innocent nymph he was corrupting.

"How did you even know she was there? That's what I want to know!" His mother pointed at him with a wooden spoon.

He rolled his eyes and took another puff of his cigar.

"I didn't, I told you what happened," he explained patiently  _again_ exhaling a grey cloud of fragrant smoke.

Mrs Addams snorted inelegantly in response.

"Darling, you don't expect me to believe, even for one second, that in some  _bizarre_  coincidence you happened to be in the very same room that your fiancée was taking a shower...I mean really."

"Believe what you wish, that's the truth. You can ask her yourself," he smirked pointing at the entrance.

Eudora looked up from the bubbling dish and smiled at the embarrassed looking young women before her. Her hair was straight reaching almost to her hips, her impeccable makeup was back on and she wore beautiful long, black dress with spider web-shaped lace sleeves. Her hands linked together in front of her, nervously playing with her engagement ring.

"Mrs Addams…" she started, but Eudora raised her hand to stop her.

"Please, my dear, you have nothing to apologize for," she said brazenly."My son, however, should've known better," she said glaring at Gomez who was smoking his cigar with a caddish grin on his face, looking utterly unconcerned.

"Mrs Addams, it wasn't Gomez's…"

Eudora gave her a look that told her it was rather pointless defending her fiancé for she has quite clearly already made her mind up about the matter.

"Morticia, if you're about to tell me that  _he_  was in your room by some weird coincidence," she said raising her palm I a stopping gesture. "I  _really_  wasn't born yesterday."

"But…"

"Oh, don't bother, cara mia," Gomez laughed lazily. "She'll never believe you."

He earned himself another glare from his mother.

"Apparently, all those head slaps you have received from her dear father, over the course of last month, taught you nothing," she commented dryly and gestured between the two of them. "You two have no self-control whatsoever."

Annoyingly, her words had no desired effect on the young couple as they only gazed at each other tenderly, smiling like love-sick fools.

"Dinner's ready," she announced and turned to Morticia who was now leaning against the table next to Gomez. "Please fetch Aurora for me, will you? She's playing chess in the library with Thing."

Morticia nodded and was about to go when Gomez grabbed her hand and placed a loving kiss on her wrist. She smiled at him and caressed his cheek tenderly before finally making her way towards the library.

Eudora rolled her eyes and released an exasperated sigh. These two really were a hopeless case. The sooner they marry the better.

* * *

"Where the hell is everybody?"

Mortimer Frump lifted his head from the book he was currently reading to see his sister standing at the door to the library, her hand on her hips and an annoyed frown on her face.

"The house is all but deserted," she commented as she made her way towards the vast shelves of books next to her brother.

"Well, Hester is at her poetry club and the girls went dancing with Gomez and his cousin... what's his name…the hairy fellow" Mr Frump said making a circular motion with his right hand.

"Cousin Itt."

"That's the one."

"Oh, well then I don't expect them to be back anytime soon," she said and picked a tome of John Keats' poetry from the shelf before settling in the armchair opposite her brother.

They fell into a comfortable silence for good twenty minutes, each immersed in their reading, before Mr Frump lifted his head from the book.

"I worry about her, Mabel" he confessed tentatively.

His sister smiled tenderly at his words.

"You're her father, it's only natural," she tried to placate him."But Gomez adores her and he takes a very good care of her."

"I know that, but … Mabel...you must have noticed," he urged leaning closer to her, propping his elbows on his knees and putting his palm together contemplating how to express his worries. "I understand love. I love my wife very much, but this thing between Tish and Addams...it worries me how ... dependent she becomes of him, how dependent they become on each other."

"They're in love. It's intense because it's new and fresh, you know how it is," she said with a conviction she didn't really feel and watched her brother shake his head."You should be happy for her."

"I  _am_  happy for her," he assured."But they barely know each other and yet I see the way they look at each other - with so much love and devotion...I've never seen her behave like that and I worry that … Mabel, what if anything goes wrong, if he hurts her...I fear that it will simply destroy her."

Mabel considered his words carefully and finally nodded. Of course, she noticed that as well, but, in all truth, she expected nothing else from Morticia. She always knew that when her niece would finally fall in love it will be an intense and all-consuming affair. As much as Morticia always appeared extremely calm and poised - cold even, Mabel recognized that there was indeed a great passion in her. She had seen it when Morticia practised her magic, something she truly loved and was devoted to, she would study it almost zealously for days until Mabel forced her to take a break. She knew it would be the same when it came to the man she would finally fall in love with.

"She does love him fiercely,"she admitted. "But Morticia's nobody's fool, Morty, and Gomez is well aware of the fact that she'll wipe the floors with him if he ever breaks her heart."

* * *

Tango was always his favourite dance. Each movement was like a poetry, it expressed the greatest passions of the human soul and conveyed one's deepest desires, all in one dance. However, dancing tango with this glorious nymph in his arms was simultaneously exquisite pleasure and pure agony. The feeling of her perfect body so close to his did nothing to dispense the sexual tension that coursed through him. His only consolation was that, judging by the fire burning in her eyes, he was not the only one struggling. He was simultaneously relieved and disappointed the last notes of the tango dissipated among the moving bodies on the dance floor.

"My siren,"Gomez growled appreciatively, bringing Morticia's hand to his lips and watched her lips curve into a mesmerizing smile.

"You're a marvellous dancer, mon amour," she complimented and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. "I need a drink," she announced and they made their way to their table.

The first sounds of rumba filled the air as Gomez picked the champagne bottle from the ice bucket and filled their glasses with the golden, bubbly liquid.

"You're going to get me drunk, darling," she said as they touched the rims of their glasses.

"Now,  _that_  is an idea worth exploring,"he teased and laughed when she elbowed him gently on his ribs."I've never seen you drunk."

"And you never will,"she stated confidently."I tried drunk once and I didn't like it. It messes up with my body chemistry and weakens the strength of my spells,"she explained upon seeing his sceptical expression."It took over a month for everything to return back to normal."

"It's really important to you, isn't it? Witchcraft, I mean,"he asked in a tone that indicated it was more of a statement than a question and watched her nod gently.

"It's a big part of my life,"she admitted."Of who I am."

"I find you truly fascinating, cara,"he declared admirably, playing with a strand of her silky hair."There are so many enchanting layers to you, I feel it will take me a whole life to really get to know you."

She smiled at him charmingly before leaning closer so that she only a breath away from him.

"You're hardly an open book yourself, my love,"she said before capturing his lips in a long, delicious kiss.

She delivered her statement without any note of malice, but he felt himself stiffen, wondering if she was perhaps suggesting to him that he wasn't very forthcoming with his past, which he knew perfectly well he wasn't. Not for the first time he felt a surge of guilt sweep through him. This was a woman he wanted to spend the rest the rest of his life with, but he was unable to admit to her what a despicable excuse for a man he was before she came to his life. Whereas she, while complex and mysterious as she was, was nevertheless always very open with him.

"These two seem to be having fun,"he commented instead, nodding his head at Itt and Ophelia happily twirling on the dance floor, effectively changing the subject of their conversation.

Morticia followed the direction with her eyes and smirked, taking another slow sip of her champagne.

"She likes him," she said and turned towards him smiling teasingly. "Your Aunt said all Addams men are charmers with silver tongues."

He laughed loudly.

"Charmers?"he asked suspiciously.

"Well, actually she said you're all smooth-talking rakes and scoundrels," she admitted as she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved to sit on his lap. "I sugarcoated it for the sake of your tender sensibilities."

"So thoughtful, cara," he grinned sneaking his arms around her lithe waist and captured her lips in a playful kiss.

"Isn't that your friend at the bar?"she asked narrowing her eyes slightly.

Gomez turned his head in the direction she was pointing. "So it is," he confirmed and waved at the figure at the bar. They both watched, in amusement, as Alex squinted his eyes and then his face brightened in recognition as he waved back, clearly waving on his feet. "And as drunk as an Irish Catholic on St Patrick's Day,"he added casually and felt her shake with gentle laughter.

They watched Alex turn to the slim women with a shoulder length, blond curly hair and they both made their way towards them.

"Gomez!" Alex bellowed happily at the sight of his friend. "Morticia, lovely to see you," he said, his speech slurring slightly as he bowed to her in a drunken gallantry. He turned to his companion."My dear, this is my best friend, Gomez Addams, and his charming fiancée, Morticia Frump," he introduced gallantly."And this lovely lady here is…"he squinted his eyes suddenly deep in thoughts."Emma!"He bellowed happily, clearly pleased with himself.

However, his blond companion only rolled his eyes.

"Emmeline, you jerk," she said shaking her head in exasperation, but obviously very unconcerned that her partner had trouble remembering her name, and shook hands with both Morticia and Gomez.

Alex shrugged."Isn't it what I just said?"

"Why don't you join us?"Morticia offered, pointing and the long, semi-circular red leather sofa they were occupying.

"You're most kind," Alex said as him and Emmeline settled opposite Gomez and Morticia. "Standing is a bit of a challenge I'm afraid, I might have had a wee too much wine tonight."

"Wasn't it you who always said there's no such a thing as too much wine?"Gomez quipped as he waved at the waiter to bring more glasses and champagne.

"It certainly sounds like me!"

The waiter arrived and filled their glasses, also replacing the empty bottle with a new one.

"A toast!" Alex bellowed lifting his champagne glass."To love," he said gallantly, eyeing the couple in front of him.

The clink of glass followed.

"Morticia, I've been told you're quite a dancer," Alex said leaning back on the sofa.

"Indeed?" She asked silkily."And who might have told you that?"

"Your dear aunt at your engagement party," he grinned.

"Figures."

"I must tell you that dancing is a true passion of mine," he declared dramatically. "You must honour me with a dance tonight."

"Go to hell," Gomez replied instead and next to Alex, Emmeline snickered.

Morticia only smiled, amused at her fiancé's jealous reaction.

"You can barely stand as it is," Gomez continued.

"Nonsense!" Alex waved his hand and almost smashed his glass on the floor."You're just jealous. You  _know_ she would find my dancing skills superior to yours."

"Ha!"He exclaimed and turned to Morticia."Querida, would you like to dance with that idiot here?"

"Oh, I would love to,"she replied with a charming smile."Perhaps some other time."

Gomez laughed and pointed his finger at his friend,"That's just a diplomatic way of saying go to hell."

"You wound me, Morticia,"Alex exclaimed dramatically clutching his chest as if he was just shot in the heart.

"That's  _my_  fiancée, go find your own,"Gomez laughed, leaned forward to grab the champagne bottle and was about to refill Morticia's glass, but she stopped him, shielding the top of her glass with her hand.

"Not for me, darling,'she said gently."I need to go to the ladies room."

"Let me join you!"Emmeline said already getting up.

Morticia nodded and grabbed her purse before turning to Gomez and placing a quick kiss on his lips and both ladies made their way to the restroom.

* * *

Emmeline opened the tap and let the water pour for few seconds before she leathered her hands with a fragrant soap and let it rinse under the hot water.

"You and Gomez make such a beautiful couple," she commented looking at Morticia in the mirror.

"Thank you,"Morticia smiled appreciatively and closed her lipstick with a click.

Emmeline switched off the tap and reached for the paper towel.

"When is the wedding again?" she asked, drying her hands.

"Ten days," Morticia replied with a smile, closing her purse. She sort of assumed that Emmeline was going as Alex's date but apparently it wasn't so or he hasn't asked her yet.

"Oh, that's right, Alex mentioned his parents are coming for the wedding," she motioned her head towards the door and winked. "He's cute, Alex I mean, but he's a real arsehole when he drinks."

"Have you known each other long?"

Emmeline shook her head frowning slightly.

"We meet two months ago and we are sort of causal on and off," Emmeline explained leaning lightly on the marble surrounding the faucet. "He travels a lot with his father, you know business and such, so we don't see each other all that often."

"I see," Morticia smiled warmly.

"And you and Gomez?" Emmeline prompted gently.

"Oh, we've met four weeks ago at his cousin's funeral," Morticia said, smiling fondly at the memory.

Emmeline blinked in confusion, not sure she heard her properly.

"Wait, hold on a minute," she said and turned fully to the woman beside her. "You mean,you're marrying a guy you've met a month ago?"

Morticia nodded.

Emmeline raised her eyebrows and eyes her companion appreciatively.

"Damn, girl, you have an adventurous spirit," she laughed."I like that, it's so romantic."

The doors to the ladies room opened, followed by a sharp clicking of the heels on the marble floor.

"Did you see how he's flaunting her over there?" A women mumbled, already in the process of applying a fresh layer of lipstick. "He hasn't left her side for a second."

Her companion shrugged noncommittally opening her pocket mirror to check her eyeliner.

"Gomez has wandering eyes, always had and always will," she commented impassionately wiping a tiny black smudge next to her left eye. "But there's only one bed he  _always_  comes back to."

Morticia stiffened slightly and was well aware that Emmeline was staring at her with widened eyes.

The ladies room was t-shaped and they chose the far corner that provided them with the most privacy but it also meant they could not see the women in the front.

"Well, no one can argue with that," the other agreed in an amused voice.

The woman nodded and closed her compact mirror with a sharp click.

"Besides," she added putting the mirror back in her purse. "Gomez has very particular tastes," she smiled knowingly."Not for the faint-hearted."

"Oh, Melanie do tell!" The blond woman asked excitedly."What did that sinful devil do to you."

Melanie laughed gently.

"Ah, let's just say that once he was done with me, I couldn't walk properly for two days."

"Is he really so...well endowed as they say?"

"Laura," she scorned.

"Oh come on, I want to know."

"What for?"Melanie asked turning to her with her eyebrow raised."You don't even like dicks."

Laura waved her hand dismissively.

"So is he?"she asked insistently.

Melanie rolled her eyes and nodded her head towards the exit.

Once they heard the door close behind them, Emmeline turned her head to Morticia.

"Wow, this is awkward,"she winced, eyeing Morticia carefully, but the women's face was perfectly poised as if she hadn't just heard the other women proclaiming her future husband's infidelity.

"Let's go," Morticia said in an impassioned voice.

* * *

When the two women got back to the table Itt and Ophelia returned as well. Ophelia's face was flushed from the dancing and she gulped at her champagne greedily.

Gomez introduced Emmeline and was disappointed when instead of returning to her earlier position on his lap, Morticia sat between him and Ophelia.

She smiled at him but he thought her body language seemed stiff. He heard Ophelia ask her if she was ok, her body language obviously not lost to her sister either, but Morticia only nodded.

Gomez looked at Ophelia questioningly but she just raised her eyebrow in the same, familiar way her sister often did when she was bemused.

He decided to ask Morticia about it later, he knew she wouldn't tell him anything now in front of everyone anyway.

Alex started telling the story of one of their drunken arrest during a weekend in Dublin when Gomez caught Emmeline's eyes on him, but she looked down at the table almost instantly. Gomez frowned in confusion. What the hell might have happened, in less than ten minutes they were away, that could change Morticia's mood so dramatically?

However, as the evening progressed, Morticia seemed to relax more. Gomez put his arm around her shoulder and she went willingly into his arms, placing her right hand on top of his thigh in an intimate gesture and Gomez almost forgot all about her earlier mood. She laughed vibrantly at the stories the three men were sharing about their years at Oxford.

"I swear, Morticia, it's all true," Alex said grinning at Gomez, his speech slurring.

Gomez groaned, tilting his head back exasperated. Next to him Morticia laughed and squeezed his thigh comfortingly.

"This friendship is finished," he deadpanned pointing at Alex with his empty champagne glass. "Uninvite yourself from my wedding."

Alex only laughed heartily earning himself a mean glare.

"Really, Gomez, it's hardly anything to be ashamed of," he said and winked obnoxiously at his friend as he turned to Morticia."He insists on maintaining his reputation as an absolute devil-may-care rake but  _he_  was top of his class."

"Shut up or I shoot you."

"You don't even carry a gun."

"I'll find one."

Morticia could not help but laugh even harder at her fiancé's embarrassment as she turned towards him.

"Relax, darling,"she grinned at him."I shall try very hard not to think any less of you, I promise"she added teasingly.

"I've done it for fun!" Gomez explained in a desperate attempt at self-defence.

"My, my," Ophelia interjected mockingly, lighting the thin cigarette currently placed between her lips."You earned yourself a master's degree in Criminology and Criminal Law from Oxford University because you were so awfully bored with your privileged and sheltered upbringing?"

Gomez laughed at her dig.

"Touché," he admitted simply."Also my father said that if by some miracle I graduate he will shave off his moustache,"he added with a grin towards his sister-in-law who tilted her head up gracefully and laughed at his words."I simply could not  _not_  to accept that challenge."

Alex nodded in confirmation.

"My father's been asking him for years now to come work with us," Alex added and nodded for the waiter to bring more champagne."Mind you, he takes up an occasional case but obnoxiously refuses my father's generous offer."

"Ihsgshfjs minnnanooznm?"Itt asked, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Because then it would be  _a job_ and that's boring," Gomez explained making them all laugh, but nevertheless effectively ending the topic as he took out another cigar from his breast pocket.

* * *

It was almost three o'clock in the morning when they finally left the club. They were all standing in front of the building waiting to get into their respective limousines. Itt and Ophelia offered to drop Alex and Emmeline, giving Gomez and Morticia an opportunity to be alone.

However, the door of the car barely closed behind Itt, when they heard Gomez's name being called behind them and they both turned curiously towards the voice. A tall man with a long blond hair tied in a ponytail jogged towards them with a big smile.

"Jani, old man!" Gomez greeted cheerfully embracing the man affectionately."I haven't seen you for ages."

"Too true, you rascal."

Gomez laughed and turned to Morticia before pointing at the blond man again.

"Darling, this is Jani Koskinen," he introduced."Jan, my enchanting fiancée, Morticia Frump."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr Koskinen,"Morticia greeted politely.

"Oh, but the pleasure is all mine, Miss," he said with a charming smile, bowing to her as he placed a quick kiss to her knuckles. Morticia retracted her hand gently and Jan turned back to Gomez. "So it's true then!"

Gomez laughed at his surprised expression.

"Indeed."

"Melanie mentioned you've got engaged, but, man, I thought she was pulling my leg as usual. So when I noticed the two of you I had to come over and see her with my own eyes!"He said with a laugh.

Morticia stiffened slightly at the mention of the other woman's name and looked up at Gomez, but there was no reaction from him apart from light-hearted amusement at his friend disbelief.

"Well, can you blame me for succumbing to this divine creature?" He asked looking at Morticia, before placing a loving kiss on the back of her hand.

"I certainly can't,"Jan laughed and extended his hand towards Gomez."My congratulations, wish you all the happiness in the world, you certainly deserve it."

The pair thanked him and said their goodbyes. Morticia felt a stab of annoyance when Gomez told his friend to send his regards to Melanie, who was apparently waiting for Jan in the car around the corner. It didn't sit particularly well with her that Gomez seemed to be on such friendly terms with his ex-lover, a woman who a couple of hours ago was predicting Morticia's future husband's infidelity.

She was quiet when they have entered the car and didn't bother to look at Gomez when he cheerfully took a seat beside her. She chose to look through the window instead. It didn't take long for Gomez to pick up on her change of mood.

"Tish? Are you all right?"He asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine," she replied impassionately, before turning towards him."Just take me home please, I'm tired."

Gomez frowned at her tone and they stayed silent for few moments as the car made its way through the almost empty streets, before he leaned forward to close the divide between them and the driver to offer them some privacy,

"Did something upset you?"

Her forehead creased momentarily in annoyance. She didn't like the feeling of intense jealousy coursing through her, it irked her how insecure it made her feel, so she replied turning her head back to the window:"No Gomez, I...no."

"No? Because you certainly look upset,"he prodded.

Morticia pressed her fingers to her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to relieve her rapidly growing headache.

"I really don't want to talk about it, darling," she said finally.

"Tish," he took her left hand and pressed his lips to it. "Don't do this," he begged."I can't bear when you're like this."

Her tense posture seemed to relax at his words, if only fractionally, and she squeezed his hand, but still didn't look away from the didn't want to talk about it. Didn't want to admit how much it upset her. She wanted to trust him. She  _trusted_ him, but there was something about the women's voice that made Morticia feel scared - threatened. How sure of herself she sounded, how confident. Content with Gomez seeing other women, because she was certain he'd eventually come back to her as he  _always does._  It unwittingly forced Morticia to imagine the possibility of her life without Gomez and she just couldn't bear it. It didn't help that Gomez seemed still on good terms with that woman.

Finally, she dropped her other hand to her lap and turned her head toward him, biting her lips briefly before looking into his eyes.

"There were two women in the restroom," she whispered finally and felt him tense next to her. "And they knew you, Melanie and some other…" she said the name and it tasted sourly on her lips.

She heard him swear, but he didn't let go of her hand.

"Tish…"

"It upset me...the things she said, it upset me," she admitted finally turning to look at him. "It's not your fault, I shouldn't let myself get angry over it. I just...I don't know," she shrugged and looked away briefly.

"What did she say?" he asked even though he probably really, really preferred not to know.

"That...that you have wandering eyes," she said in barely a whisper, but looking straight into his eyes." But that you always come back to her."

Gomez frowned and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Tish," he whispered hoarsely."I haven't even looked at another woman since I met you, but...as much as I'd like to, there's nothing I can do about Melanie or any other women I've been with before you."

"I know," she snapped. "I know that," she added in a softened tone."But… I can't help it...I want to trust you. I  _do_ trust you. I just…" she hesitated and turned away from him again before continuing in a painful whispered."I can't bear the thought that someone could take you away from me," she confessed and turned away from him again. She really hated how pathetic it sounded.

"Never, cara mia," he said passionately wrapping his arms around her and was relieved that she came to him willingly."I would rather die than live without you, I swear. You are  _everything_  to me. I love you so much."

Her hands rested on his cheeks as she looked into his half-lidded eyes lovingly.

"I know," she whispered. "I know and I'm sorry she made me doubt you, mon amour," she said placing a soft kiss on his jaw."I love you."

"There will never be another woman but you. I'm your slave for the whole eternity," he declared passionately and was pleased when she looked at him with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes and her lips curved in a sensual smile.

"My slave?" she repeated.

"Forever," he promised.

"Now,  _that_ 's an idea worth exploring," she whispered teasingly against his lips before capturing them in an ardent kiss.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

It was yet another depressingly hot and sunny afternoon when Gomez Addams paid an impromptu visit to his fiancée's house and was undeniably pleased to learn that both her parents, her aunt and her sister were conveniently absent on a last-minute shopping before the wedding.

The couple immediately fell upon each other ravenously in the middle of the conservatory where Morticia was currently tending to her plants. The knowledge that there were mere three days left until the wedding did nothing to quench their desire for another, quite the opposite. The young couple found it increasingly difficult to keep their hands off each other, but with their nuptials around the corner, Hester kept Morticia busy with last-minute dress fittings and final preparations, and so they barely had any time together these past few days.

"Tish," he said in a strangled whisper, his voice raspy with desire as she pushed him against the wall and ground her hips against his."Querida, not here, not like this."

Morticia groaned in frustration and purposely slid her hands against his abdomen.

"I don't care," she said firmly, biting his lower lips."I don't want to wait any longer, mon cher."

He groaned with pleasure and she gasped in delighted surprise when he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall before attacking her lips in a ferocious kiss. He didn't possess the strength to resist her. Since when was he such a gentleman when it came to the carnal pleasures, anyway? Why shouldn't he give in to her, willing as she was, and take her now, against the wall in the conservatory, with her long, enticing legs wrapped around him? The sheer thought made his groin tighten.

No, he thought, no God damn it. He would rather doom himself to yet another sexually exasperating, sleepless night and suffer for the rest of the day than allow her first time to be a quick fuck against the wall...he will leave that for  _after_  the wedding.

"You deserve better than this," he rasped, trying his earnest to block the salacious thoughts of this glorious enchantress and smirked despite himself when she let out an exasperated huff. It pleased him immensely to know that she was having an equally arduous time with this as he was.

"Don't you desire me anymore?" She asked petulantly, even though she could certainly feel the evidence to the contrary bulging in his pants. He let out a strangled laugh before grabbing her hips and pulling her against him roughly, showing her exactly how much he desired her.

"I want you so much I can't think of nothing else, querida," he said purposely and placed both of his hands on her shoulders."But I want more for you," he added before capturing her lips in a deliciously sensual kiss and was gratified with her loud moan of pleasure.

"The wedding night just can't come soon enough," she whispered against his lips before capturing them in another hot, wet kiss.

"I couldn't agree more," he said with a deep growl and buried his face in her silky raven hair."But I promise you, all that wait is going to be worth it."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," she laughed gently, resting her forehead gently against his."But I fear I might go insane before that, I just can't stop thinking about you," she admitted."Even my dreams are about you."

His eyes sparkled with joy at her admission and he bent to kiss her again.

"If it makes you feel any better, father kicked me out from the business meeting today," he said against her lips."One of our business associates asked me a question about that deal we're about to sign and I couldn't answer a single thing, because you are  _absolutely all_  I think about these days. Father told me to get the hell out and not to step my foot in the office until after the honeymoon."

She laughed softly and wrapped her arms around his middle:"Actually, it does make me feel better," she grinned at him."It's certainly comforting to know that I'm not the only one in this relationship going insane."

"No, you're certainly not," he laughed and was about to kiss her again when a certain African Strangled suddenly wrapped its thick vines around his neck.

"What on earth?!"

"Oh, it's just Cleopatra," Morticia explained with a gentle laugh."I was about to feed her just before you came over. Poor dear, she must be starving," she added caressing the green plant affectionately as she attempted to lift it off of Gomez's neck but only caused Cleopatra to tighten her grip on him."Now, now darling no need to be jealous, let father go, baby," she cooed at the plant and Cleopatra finally allowed herself to be removed.

Gomez gave out a strangled gasp for air.

"What a jealous little thing," he commented lightly, massaging his neck.

Morticia smiled at him apologetically.

"She's still very young, she's not used to sharing me with anyone," she explained as she slowly partitioned a hamburger with a fork before feeding one piece to the plant."Here you go, my darling, don't gulp."

Gomez smiled contentedly at the image before him, it was hard to believe, watching her now as she fed and cooed at the plant in a gentle, motherly fashion, that just a few minutes ago they were devouring each other passionately, in the heat of the moment, in the corner of the very same conservatory.

"What?"She asked suspiciously after she caught him staring at her for a while.

He looked at her and gave out a slightly embarrassed laugh.

"Nothing," he smiled sheepishly and causally retrieved a cigar from his breast-pocket.

Morticia smiled back but raised her eyebrow skeptically. She was about to pursue the subject further when she heard the front door open, followed by a mingle of excited voices.

"Tish, we're back," came her sister's enthusiastic voice."And we have a surprise for you!"

Gomez looked at Morticia curiously but she just shrugged and put an empty bowl away before linking her hand with his and lead them out of conservatory.

"Gomez, darling how lovely to see you," his almost mother-in-law exclaimed happily upon seeing him."Morticia didn't tell us you were coming over."

Gomez smiled charmingly and bent down to kiss her extended hand.

"Actually, she didn't know. Aunt Aurora had some books she wanted Morticia to read and I offered to drop them to her on my way from my meeting," he explained casually, not missing his father-in-law's muttered ' _of course you did_ ,' then greeted the rest of the family.

"Oh, you're such a dear," Hester said and smiled at him affectionately before turning to Morticia."Come, come to the parlour. Your surprise is waiting there," she called as everyone made their way into the parlour.

Gomez was about to follow them when Morticia pulled him back gently and he turned to see her confused expression.

"What books?"She asked. She certainly didn't notice him having any books with him, but Gomez smirked and pointed his head to the table beside the door where, sure enough, two fat leather-bound volumes lay beside the crystal vase."Oh."

"I managed to put them there before my fiancée wantonly dragged me to the conservatory to make out with her," he explained, not even bothering to lower his voice and grinned when she pinched his forearm as the faint blush graced her cheeks."Although, I don't know when does she expect you to read them, because sure as hell you won't have a time for that during our honeymoon," he added with a frown.

Next to him, Morticia looked at two huge tomes and gave out a dramatic, exaggerated sigh.

"Oh, well I guess I will have to allocate some time for reading them. I would hate to disappoint our dear aunt," she said sadly, without any shadow of facetiousness. She's never seen more crestfallen expression than the one that was currently exhibited on her fiancé's face and she had to try very hard not burst up laughing.

He blinked, startled, staring at her in an utter disbelief.

"What?! Tish...what the...you can't be serious," he blurted.

"Come, darling. The parents are waiting," she said instead and gracefully made her way to the parlour without sparing Gomez a second look.

* * *

The surprise turned out to be Morticia's childhood friend, Lionel, and it instantly annoyed the hell out of Gomez how happy she was to see the younger man. The fact that he was a particularly handsome and charming, greeting Morticia with a great affection, annoyed him even further. Gomez noticed that Lionel was far much less enthusiastic when Morticia introduced him as her fiancé and the two men shook hands with a fair amount of conspicuous reluctance that was blatantly obvious to everyone in the room, except Morticia.

Yet, Gomez couldn't help a self-satisfying smirk that curled on his lips when she sat down next to him on the settee, linking their hands together and offered Lionel the armchair opposite.

Even Ophelia smiled inwardly at her sister's gesture. She always admired how smart and diligent Morticia was in her academic work, her passion for learning, even though she had little interest in that herself. However, she must admit that when it came to the matters of the heart, her sister could be so painfully obtuse it was mind-boggling. Her coquettishness, her charming wit that many mistook for measured and deliberate flirtation, came to Morticia naturally. Her sister never deliberately flirted. Never and with anyone, she loathed the mundane banality of flirting with passion, it bored her to tears. Hence, one had to be particularly inventive to win Morticia's interest not to mention her heart. Unless, of course, your name was Gomez Addams, then apparently all you had to do was to look at her.

Ophelia knew for a fact that Morticia was utterly oblivious to Lionel Barker's fruitless attempt to win her affections, practically since they moved into the neighbourhood over a decade ago and befriended Lionel, who came over almost every day to play with the sisters despite being terrified of Morticia's pet vultures - Hubert and Henry.

Over the years it became glaringly obvious to everyone that he was desperately in love with Morticia, to everyone - except Morticia herself - who held a great deal of affection for her childhood friend but was utterly unaware of Lionel's romantic feelings. He never found a courage to tell her and Ophelia never enlightened her either, because she found his hopeless struggles hilarious and she liked to tease him for it mercilessly.

Lionel was back home for a one-day visit from his summer apprenticeship in a law firm and came to congratulate Morticia on her engagement to Gomez - how happy he was for her, expressing deepest hopes that Mr Addams knew what a treasure he was getting.

Now, with Mr and Mrs Frump as well as Mabel out for their afternoon walk, the three of them were enjoying their tea and familiar conversation, but Ophelia noticed that Lionel's hand touched Morticia's on more than several occasions while he was telling her amusing stories about his apprenticeship. A gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Gomez either, if his annoyed glare was any indication.

"It's modern-day slavery, I'm telling you," Lionel said dramatically.

"You're just spoiled and utterly unused to a hard, honest work," Ophelia teased drawing a smirk from Gomez and hearty laughs from Morticia and Lionel.

"Straight to the heart, Phee," Lionel said slapping his right hand on his chest in a wounded gesture.

"I hate when you call me that."

"I know," he grinned at her cheekily and turned to Morticia."So how is your hocus pocus study going?"

"How about I shall turn you into a bullfrog, so you can find out for yourself?" She teased over the rim of her teacup.

"Hey, don't jest," Lionel warned pointing his slim finger at her."Do you remember that time you were practising your spells on me and gave me dog ears?" He reminisced and Morticia almost snorted into her tea. Even Gomez laughed.

"Oh my God, you keep exaggerating that incident,"she countered in self-defence."It was ages ago and I turned you back to normal...eventually."

Lionel turned to Gomez who was now watching their interaction with a half-amused, half-annoyed expression, telling himself that he was not at all jealous of their familiarity and effortless banter.

"After a week and not before she accidentally turned the ears pink first."

At that Gomez laughed heartily, earning himself an elbow in his ribs from his lovely fiancée.

"I couldn't find the right spell," she defended embarrassingly.

"Who would have thought that such a talented witch had such embarrassing beginnings," he teased and grabbed her arm gently before she had a chance to connect it to his ribs again. He lifted her hand and placed an appeasing kiss on her knuckles.

"You're ruining my reputation," Morticia accused Lionel who only laughed harder at her embarrassment.

"Ha, you weren't the one to walk around with a beanie hat in a sweltering summer heat to cover pink dog's ears," Lionel interjected grinning at Morticia.

In all honesty, the guy seemed like a decent fellow...if only he just stopped gazing at Morticia like a love-sick puppy, Gomez might have actually like him.

* * *

In the late afternoon, they were back in the conservatory, Morticia feeding Cleopatra her dinner while Gomez sat in a metal garden chair, flipping casually through the books Aurora sent to Morticia.

"He's clearly in love with you, Tish," he said casually, watching for her reaction with a corner of his eye.

Morticia raised her eyebrows and laughed dismissively at the suggestion. She put away the empty bowl gently on the glass table and picked up her shears.

"Who, Lionel?"She turned to Gomez and saw him nod."Oh, don't be silly, darling. He's just a childhood friend."

"For you maybe, definitely not for him," he said edgily.

"All these years? I think I would've noticed if his feeling for me were of romantic nature," she added, obviously amused by his insinuation.

Gomez raised his eyebrows and his mouth curled in an amused smile.

"I doubt it," he said."You didn't notice that almost all men at Bar's funeral were practically ogling you."

Morticia raised her shapely eyebrow in surprise at his jealous tone and picked the vase full of roses waiting to be decapitated.

"How could I have noticed them?" She asked as she moved slowly towards the table where Gomez was seating. Soon the sound of the sharp clicks of the shears filled the conservatory and the rosebud started falling on the floor with an almost soundless thud."When I was busy staring at you, mon amour?"

Just as she intended, his demeanour relaxed at her words and he put the book away. He came to stand behind her, his arms circling her tiny waist in a loving embrace.

"Cara mia," he whispered nuzzling her black tresses.

"Gomez," she said softly, turning slightly in his arms and waited for him to look at her."You're not jealous, are you?"

"Me?Jealous?"He almost snorted at the suggestion."Certainly not."

Morticia smiled knowingly and nonchalantly snapped her shears at another rosebud.

"Good," she commented softly before adding in the same placating tone."You needn't be jealous of no one, Lionel couldn't hold a candle to you."

Her words had seemingly desired effect as she felt him smile and his body relaxed in a visible manner, his hands resting at the curves of her hips.

"I guess," he murmured into her silky hair."I guess I can't really blame the poor chap for falling under your spell. After all, you truly are irresistible," he added sweeping the heavy curtain of her black tresses over her shoulder and proceeded to place soft kisses along her neck and shoulders, smiling into her white skin when he was rewarded with a sound that was somewhere in between a moan and a purr.

"Mmmmm, I love when you do that," she whispered, tilting her head to give him better felt his arm sneak around her waist as he nibbled gently at the skin behind her ear.

"Oh, Tish...the things I want to do to you…" he murmured, his voice rasp with his need for her. He turned her head toward him and captured her ruby lips in a hot, wet kiss. The sharp sound of shears hitting the floor reverberated through the conservatory and he felt her willow arms curl behind his neck as she surrendered to the kiss.

"Father wanted me to let you know that the tea has now been served," came Ophelia's soft, amused voice from the direction of the door, startling the couple and they immediately let go of each other. "But I can see you've already started your feast," she added before her lips curled into a knowing smirk and she casually exited the conservatory.

Gomez gave out a frustrated huff before turning to Morticia while pointing at the general direction of the door.

"If we are cursed with those preposterous interruptions once we're married, I  _will_ go insane."

* * *

The midnight moon cast its silver light over the Addams graveyard as the wedding guests took up their seats in front of an altar made of a rotten oak wood, decorated with a black silk and entwined with Morticia's favourite thorny stems of red roses.

Throughout her life, Mabel Frump attended her fair share of weddings of various friends and relatives and that included four of her own weddings. She always admitted to being a shamelessly romantic at heart. Although, save for the handful of the relationships, almost all of the unions in their circle were arranged marriages, and so love had little or even nothing to do with it, at least initially, she has never allowed herself to become cynical about the idea of marriage. Even though all of her four marriages ended with divorces...or were they all suicides? Oh, who the hell remembered such insignificant details?

She certainly remembered having fun while they lasted.

In any case, she's decided that the wedding of her niece was by far the most beautiful affair she has ever attended. She inwardly praised her sister-in-law and Eudora Addams, the two architects of the whole event, as she surveyed the graveyard. It was immaculately decorated for the occasion, with black ribbons, lanterns and dead flowers of various kind.

She smiled happily and dabbed the corners of her eyes where the tears were starting to gather. She watched her dear brother as he gave Morticia away to the groom and then sat next to his wife, taking her hand into his own in a comforting gesture.

Throughout the whole ceremony, the couple didn't take their eyes off of each other.

When it was Morticia's turn to say the vows, Mabel heard a strangled sniff in the chair next to her and turned to her right where her brother was sitting, looking like a hot mess and his wife was patting his hand consolingly.

When the minister has finally announced the couple husband and wife and allowed the groom to kiss the bride, Gomez, true to his style, gently pulled the black, lace veil off Morticia's smiling face and dipped her low in his arms before placing on her lips the hottest and the longest kiss in the history of wedding kisses.

The Addams graveyard erupted in cheers.

Indeed, Mabel Frump has never witnessed a couple more suited for marriage than Morticia and Gomez Addams.

* * *

Even his own wedding day turned out to be an exercise in endurance for Gomez Addams.

He could not take his eyes off his enchanting bride as she cut purposely into their wedding cake and turned to him with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. He watched her scoop a piece of cake with her long nails and place it in his mouth in such a sinfully sensual manner that he felt his groin tighten uncontrollably and was infinitely glad that she stood in front of him, shielding him from the view of their guests.

"You truly are a minx, Mrs Addams," he whispered against her smiling lips before capturing them in a passionate kiss. He was only vaguely aware of the cheers around them.

* * *

"Is he ever going to get his lips off her?" Mr Frump growled half-heartedly to his wife as they watched the newlywed couple share their first dance as a husband and wife. Encircled by their guests, they moved gracefully to the sounds of their favourite Strauss' Viennese waltz, smiling and gazing into each other's eyes. As undeniably beautiful as they looked, Mortimer could swear his new son-in-law took it upon himself to annoy the hell out of him, as he watched Gomez dip his wife and kiss her with all his might - to the utter delight of their guests.

Hester laughed above the rim of her champagne glass.

"Not likely, darling," she said, set her glass aside and smiled at her darling husband.

"There will be plenty of time to maul her later."

Hester rolled her eyes humorously.

"Come on, let's dance," she grabbed his hand without waiting for his response and dragged him to the dance floor.

* * *

Gomez leaned against the balcony window, cigar in his hand, half-heartedly listening to his father and cousin Cornelius talking about Cornelius' latest hobby - stock market investment - which he insisted Gomez should try. Gomez nodded politely but his eyes kept wandering to the middle of the dance floor where Morticia was dancing with Lumpy, who tried his hardest to impress his new aunt with his latest dance moves. Morticia was, of course, appropriately awed.

The image brought a tender smile to his face. All his little cousins were absolutely charmed by her, particularly Lumpy Addams when it turned out his new aunt was not only a witch but also shared his love for pets and man-eating plants. Lumpy loved the fact that Morticia seemed genuinely interested in his own pet tarantula and asked him real questions about it, not merely nodding politely and patting his head as other adults usually did.

Watching Morticia with Lumpy made him inadvertently wonder if his wife wanted to have children and he smiled softly at the thought of this beautiful goddess having his children.

They never actually discussed the idea but it made him suddenly realize how much he wanted to have a family with her. She would be an amazing mother.

His contemplations were interrupted as Wedge and Lithium made his way towards him, champagne glasses in hands.

"Gomez, I think Lumpy might be in love," Lithium said grinning at him."Your darling wife promised him he could come around and play with her pet lion."

"Yep, a witch with a pet lion and a real African Strangler - Lumpy's dreams just came true," Wedge quipped smiling teasingly at his wife.

"His and mine both," he grinned.

"Did you see aunt Aurora dancing with Morticia's uncle?" Wedge whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Who would have thought the old bat still had it in her…," he snickered and winced as the infamous walking stick connected sharply with his skull.

Gomez snickered, glad for once not to be the recipient of his aunt's wrath.

"Won't you ever learn, darling?" Lithium asked her husband, shaking her head exasperatedly.

Wedge grinned sheepishly and span around to face a very annoyed-looking Aurora Addams, her walking stick casually placed under her right hand and a self-satisfied smirk on her face. Wedge thought his aunt was the only person on the planet who could look happy and annoyed at the same time.

"I saw you on the dancefloor less than a minute ago, how are you even here?" He enquired, his tone mildly outraged about the fact that she even dared to be in his nearest vicinity when he was shamelessly gossiping about her.

Aurora raised her eyebrow critically.

"You should've known better," she scolded. "Now, if you are done gossiping like a schoolgirl, go get me a drink."

Wedge opened his mouth to deny the accusation, but quickly decided against it, lest the old witch turned him into a bullfrog - again.

"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled and immediately departed to fetch his aunt her requested drink.

"You have such a way with the Addams men, auntie," Lithium beamed, definitely glowing over the fact that her over six-foot-tall husband has been reduced to a little, squirming nothing by his hundred-and-four-year-old aunt.

* * *

Ophelia felt giddy with excitement.

Well, in all truth she always felt giddy with excitement, but  _this_  was special kind of giddy when two hours into the wedding party she approached her brother-in-law in the middle of the ballroom, where he was dancing with Morticia. She smiled furtively as she tapped him on his shoulder, her daisies bouncing on her head vivaciously.

Gomez turned to her, his arm around Morticia's waist and wife smiled at him placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Everything is ready, I put her bag in the car," Ophelia announced to Gomez, obviously pleased with herself. She beamed at her sister who was regarding her with an amused suspicion. Ophelia clapped her hand together and grinned at her. "You can thank me later," she said mysteriously and winked.

"You're the greatest sister-in-law in the history of humanity," Gomez said and bowed gallantly to Ophelia.

"No one can argue with that," she smiled slyly.

Gomez winked and pulled his wife closer to his side, his lips brushed her ear: "Time to get out of here," he whispered and watched her eyes illuminate with anticipation. Gomez smiled knowingly and turned to locate his father in the grand ballroom. He found him standing next to the balcony door, talking to a distant cousin from Havana.

As if sensing his son's eyes on him, Mr Addams turned towards him and Gomez nodded his head pointedly. Salvador signalled for the band to cease the music, took a fork from the nearest table and tapped gently on the rim of his champagne glass.

"Everyone, your attention please," he bellowed. "My beloved family and friends. Please, gather around."

The hums and murmurs reverberated throughout the ballroom and Salvador Addams made his way towards the newlywed couple as everyone gathered around.

Salvador waited for his wife and Morticia's parents to join him before continuing.

"Dear all," Salvador said formally, holding up his glass. "The time has come to say goodbye to our newlyweds and send them off on their honeymoon," he continued as he turned towards Gomez and Morticia."But before we do so, let me again welcome Morticia into the Addams clan - my dear, we could've never imagined a better wife for our boy, and a better daughter for us," he began drawing an affectionate smile from Morticia. "It's only too bad your father cannot say the same," he said and the crowd gave an agreeing laugh. He saw his son roll his eyes and shake his head good naturally, but the grin on his face did not fade. "May your love and commitment to one another never cease and only grow stronger, for better, for worse and...for whatever lies in between."

He paused as the couple gazed at each other lovingly.

"To Gomez and Morticia - Mr and Mrs Addams," he said and lifted his glass higher.

Their names were echoed all around as the guest toasted to their love and happiness.

Morticia turned to her husband, her hands framing his face as she brought him closer for a loving kiss and the crowd erupted in cheers.

"I love you," she whispered and kissed him again, savouring the taste of him.

"I love you, Mrs Addams."

* * *

It was still some hours before dawn when they arrived at the red brick Addams' townhouse, the streets empty and quiet save for the newlyweds and the driver.

Gomez held out his hand gallantly to help his wife out of the car, which thanks to her wedding dress, was not an easy task.

They watched Lurch take all their bags and climb the stair to place them inside the hall. He moved with unusual for him briskness, eager to complete the task and leave the couple for the rest of the night.

"All is ready," he announced in his slow, low growl as he stood before them. "Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Addams."

"Thank you, Lurch," Morticia said and smiled at him fondly.

"We'll see you in the afternoon," Gomez said and Lurch nodded.

The butler barely closed the door to the car, before the couple turned towards each other and their lips joined in a ravenous kiss. They moaned simultaneously at the sensation and Gomez wasted no time, picking his wife up, bridal style, and making his way up the stairs and into the house.

"The bedroom is upstairs," he murmured against her lips.

Morticia was already removing his tuxedo jacket as they made their way towards the master bedroom. She grunted as her back connected firmly with the bedroom door. Gomez pressed against her, placing open-mouthed kisses on her collarbone and down her arm while his hand blindly searched for the handle to open the door.

"God, you taste delicious," he moaned appreciatively when they finally entered the bedroom.

Morticia laughed gently and noticed fleetingly that the bed was already turned down and the ice bucket with a champagne was placed at the dresser table along with two crystal glasses. Her hands hurriedly went to untie the cravat on Gomez's neck and soon the material fell listlessly on the floor.

Gomez started to undo his waistcoat, but Morticia stopped him shaking her head.

"No, let me," she purred and bit him gently on his chin, drawing a soft moan out of him, as she proceeded to undress him and felt his hands on her hips tighten in response.

Gomez groaned with pleasure as she undid the buttons on his shirt, placing luxurious, wet kisses on his chest while her hands explored his taut abdomen.

"Tish," he said, his voice hoarse with desire, feeling his restraint rapidly slipping away. It took all of his self-control not to throw her on the bed and possess her then and there. "I want you so much, querida."

"Mmmmmm, I want you too, mon cher," she moaned against his lips.

Another groan escaped him and he grabbed her hands firmly then turned her towards the bed and swept her long hair over her arm. He heard her gasp of pleasure as he grazed his teeth at the back of her neck and his hands moved to capture her breasts.

She moaned his name earnestly.

"Mine," he growled possessively and started undoing the tiny claps of the bodice of her delicate wedding dress, kissing the white skin of her supple back in the process.

Morticia felt her heart hammering inside of her chest as he kissed and licked her skin while removing her dress. His hands went to her arms and peeled the black, lace material off of her skin and down her arms. She helped him push the dress past her hips, her hands trembling with anticipation, and watched the expansive material pool at her feet. She turned to her husband, slowly stepping out of the dress.

Gomez inhaled sharply, biting his lips and felt himself tighten even more as he took in the vision before him. His wife, clad only in the black lace panties, silk stockings, garter belt and black high heels. A faint blush coloured her cheeks and her eyes were ablaze with desire. She was a perfection of feminine beauty and she belonged to him. Forever.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered in an awe.

Morticia smiled at her husband and removed her shoes.

"I feel overdressed," she said teasingly as her hand reached for his belt buckle.

"Well, we can't have that," he chuckled but gulped heavily as her nails grazed his lower abdomen. He helped her remove the rest of his clothes.

Morticia couldn't stop staring at him, admiring his naked form, her eyes followed her palm as it moved boldly from his chest, against his stomach and further towards the v-shaped muscle of his lower abdomen. She was about to caress his erection but he grabbed her hand swiftly and pulled her towards him instead.

"Slow down, cara, or it will be over in a heartbeat" he chuckled against her lips."You are too much for me," he admitted, his voice hoarse with desire.

She smiled, ridiculously flattered that she had such an effect on him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Their lips met again in a long, searing kiss.

Morticia moaned into his mouth and pressed her body against his.

"Take me to bed, mon cher," she whispered, touching her forehead against his.

Gomez looked at her tenderly and bent down to slid his left arm under her knees as he lifted her up in his arms.

The satin on the bed was gloriously cool against her naked back and she sighed with pleasure at the sensation. She felt Gomez nudge her legs apart before settling himself between her thighs and captured her lips in a hot, wet kiss.

A low growl reverberated from his throat as she ground her hips against his and he broke their kiss with a low groan. He closed his eyes and buried his face in her neck. He knew he wasn't going to last as long as he would have wished, he wanted her too much and it has been too long, and the way she wriggled under him wasn't helping.

Morticia whimpered with pleasure as she felt him bite into the skin just below her ear and then immediately sooth it with his tongue. His lips travelled slowly to her chest and he flicked his tongue over her hard nipple just as his hand caressed her over the lace of her panties. She wriggled her hips impatiently and felt him smile against her soft skin. He finally slipped his fingers under the lace to caress her wet centre and she moaned loudly. The combination of his hot lips and skilled fingers was almost too much and soon she felt the familiar heat in her lower belly.

"You are so wet for me, cara," he moaned appreciatively as he continued to caress her, his fingers slick with her arousal. Gomez moved his mouth to her stomach, placing open-mouth kisses on her white skin until he reached the hem of her panties. He looked up at her as his hands moved agonizingly slowly, removing her stocking, garter belt and finally her panties.

She was now lying before him completely naked, her lips swollen from kissing, her milky skin flushed with arousal, her dark eyes glistening with unbridled desire.

She watched him kiss his way up her left thigh, her chest heaving with anticipation. Her hands fisted into his hair as he slipped two fingers into her while flicking his tongue gently against her sensitive centre.

"Gomez…" she moaned loudly, her hips arching at the sensation as he licked and sucked gently at her. It felt so good she almost cried out with pleasure. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip as she felt the heat in her stomach intensify. "Gomez...oh...darling, yes…" she moaned loudly and arched her body, her hands clutching at the bedsheets as the intense white heat spread, making her whole body tremble with pleasure.

Before she could recover, he settled back in between her thighs, his hard, warm arousal pressed against her stomach.

Her hands went to his face and she brought his mouth down to hers violently, kissing him with such passion and abandon that he knew he couldn't wait any longer.

She gasped as he plunged into her and felt him fill her, warm and hard, her nails digging into his shoulders as the dull tension settled itself inside her. She closed her eyes, biting her lower lips.

Gomez propped himself on his forearms and gently rested his forehead against hers.

"You ok?" he asked, his voice raspy with desire.

"Yes," she grunted and opened her eyes. She tried to move against him and winced. She heard his strangled moan of pleasure."It's...tight."

"Wrap your legs around me, querida," he requested huskily.

She did as he asked and felt him withdraw from her almost fully before lifting her hips slightly and thrusting back into her. She moaned encouragingly as he moved slowly inside her, grinding his hips against her core until the dull tension gave way to the warm, tingling sensation in her stomach and the back of her thighs. She raised her hips higher, arching against him, meeting his thrusts with her own as she moaned with pleasure.

Gomez captured her lips in a passionate kiss, moaning as her inner muscles started to contract gently around him. She was so hot and tight, wringing with pleasure under him, moaning and whimpering, her nails digging into him painfully - it drove him crazy with lust.

"Gomez…" she broke and brought her lips close to his ear."I...ah…oh God," she cried out loudly as the force of her climax hit her like a whiplash, hot and intense. She bit into the skin on his shoulder and heard him groan loudly. She arched against him, her muscles clenching violently around him as he pounded into her faster, harder, and then with a final thrust he grabbed her hips and dug his fingers into the soft flesh so hard she winced - the pain only heightening the blissful feeling of ecstasy coursing through her body, their sensual moans reverberating through the bedroom.

"Gods," he rasped, burying his face in her neck, the intensity of his climax nearly exhausted him, her inner muscles still contracting around him in faint spasms and he moaned with pleasure. He felt her arms around him as she pulled him closer. He smiled and inhaled the scent of musk and bitter almonds that always surrounded her. He felt her nuzzle his cheek gently and raised his head to look at her and felt his heart constrict at her beauty - her skin was glistering with a faint perspiration, her eyes glittering with unbridled pleasure, lips curved in a small, satisfied smile. He smiled at her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

She smiled back contentedly at his tender gesture, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"That was definitely worth all the wait," she whispered, her heart still beating madly in her chest.

He chuckled and slipped out of her, settling himself on his back bringing her to rest against his chest.

"Will be even better next time," he promised, capturing her lips in a slow, lazy post-coital kiss. His hand caressing her bare back.

"Mmmmm, I think it was quite excellent," she countered.

He smiled at her.

"Just being with you is amazing," he said."But I rushed it," he admitted capturing her face into his hands. "You were too much for me, cara, I wanted you too much."

She smiled, pleased with his admission and snuggled against him.

"You are so beautiful," he continued caressing her long, black tresses."I don't think I shall ever get enough of you."

"Mmmmm I hope you won't," she said and smiled into his chest.

"I love you."

She lifted her head to look into his eyes and whispered slowly: "Forever," before sealing the promise with an ardent kiss.

* * *

Gomez winced in annoyance as the strong August sunshine broke through the wooden blinds and landed directly on his face. He tried to turn away but found his movements severely restricted. He looked down to find his beautiful wife, sleeping contentedly on top of him, her head on his chest, left arm wrapped around his middle and leg entwined with his. He smiled at the image of her, he distinctly remembered her falling asleep on her side, spooned against him. The fact that was now snuggled against him filled him with a ludicrous sense of happiness. He liked to imagine that even in her sleep she knew where she belonged - in his arms.

He thought of waking up to her like this for the rest of his life and could not help but grin at such a glorious prospect.

He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head and felt her stir but she didn't wake up. His wife was obviously a deep sleeper, but as he sneaked his hand to her hip and traced lazy circles on the naked skin she slowly moved against him - he felt himself tighten. Her long eyelashes fluttered against his chest and he felt her stretch.

"Good morning, Mrs Addams," he whispered against her hair.

"Mmmmm, good morning Mr Addams," she replied, placing a soft, languorous, morning kiss on his chest. She squealed in surprise as he rolled them over swiftly, so she was nestled under him and in his arms.

"I used to dream about waking up next to you," he murmured against her neck.

"Then we must have been sharing that dream," she said, wrapping her arms around him, sleep still tugging at her voice.

"Breakfast?" he asked in a voice that suggested the actual breakfast was currently the last thing on his mind and he heard her gentle chuckle.

She shook her head snuggling further into him.

"I have a better idea," she said and smiled at him seductively.

* * *

He briefly wondered about his sanity when, after their morning lovemaking, their attempt to shower turned into a heavy, soapy petting session and ended up with them making love again - against the shower wall, under the spray of the hot, steamy water. He just couldn't get enough of her. He loved how she gave herself to him so unreservedly, how she moaned his name in that low, sensual voice just before she climaxed.

Even now, sitting at the kitchen table, sipping his black coffee and smoking his second cigar of the day, watching her cook them toadstool omelettes, clad only in his emerald, velvet robe that was way too big for her, her hair still damp from the shower, was making his blood boil.

"Smells good," he said, trying very hard to sound nonchalant and doing his best to ignore stirring in his loins.

She smiled at him from above the cooker as she plated their omelettes.

She picked up the two plates and made her way to join him at the kitchen table.

"Voilà," she said sliding the plate gently in front of him.

"Oh Tish, your French" he moaned her name throwing his cigar carelessly on the marble floor as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit on his knees and started placing firm kisses up her arm. "Drives me wild."

"Darling," she cooed and caressed his freshly shaven cheek."Breakfast first... French later."

He grunted in reluctant agreement, placing one last kiss on the inside of her wrist.

She moved gracefully to the chair next to him and watched as he picked the silver fork and cut into the soft yellow-greenish texture.

"That's really delicious!" he praised in an undeniably surprised tone and heard her amused laugh.

"No need to sound so shocked," she teased, taking a bite of her omelette.

Gomez had a good grace to smile at her sheepishly.

"Forgive me, cara mia, but it really never occurred to me that you could cook," he admitted."Your mother does not peg me for a cooking type."

She tilted her head and laughed, obviously amused by the idea.

"She's not, my dear mother couldn't cook to save her life."

"So where did you learn then?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, I learnt it only last year when I was spending two semesters in Killegray in Scotland with two witches of the Macleod clan. They have a small castle there, it's a cold and desolate place, practically uninhabited - you'd love it," she smiled at him, taking another bite of her food before continuing. "They insisted everyone did their share of cooking and cleaning."

He chuckled at the image.

"Who would have thought my darling wife will be so domesticated," he teased over the rim of his porcelain coffee cup.

She pinched his thigh in response eliciting a hearty laugh from him.

"What did you study there anyway?"

She looked at him, her eyes sparkled mischievously, she chewed her food slowly, her mouth curling into a vicious smirk before replying.

"Advanced hexes."

* * *

Lurch arrived at the Addams townhouse at exactly four o'clock in the afternoon, silently praying, to whoever was listening, that he would not catch the couple in a ah...flagrante delicto. He approached the heavy door apprehensively and knocked loudly. To his utter surprise, a few seconds later the door swung open to reveal a very happy looking Gomez Addams, impeccably dressed in his customary pinstripe suit and a ubiquitous cigar placed firmly between his lips.

"Lurch, old men!" he gritted joyously taking the cigar out of his mouth. "Punctual as always."

Lurch grunted in welcome and made his way into the house. He noticed the suitcases were still exactly where he and Miss Ophelia left them earlier.

"You can take the luggage into the car while I go check if Mrs Addams is ready," he said and Lurch could swear his eyes brightened at the mere mention of his wife.

Lurch nodded politely and picked two brown leather, vintage suitcases, he smirked knowingly as Gomez made his way upstairs, taking two steps at a time, humming joyously to himself.

* * *

Morticia sat at the dresser, finishing attaching her black stocking to the garter belt, her immaculate makeup in place when a faint knock at the doors filled the room and her husband entered.

She looked up and smiled at him.

"I'm almost done," she said and busied herself attaching the last strap to the stocking.

Gomez didn't reply. He felt his mouth rapidly go dry and swallowed heavily, his heart hammering in his chest. The room was suddenly too hot.

He stared wordlessly at his wife, dressed only in the black, lacy lingerie, her silky hair swept to the side as she focused on fixing her stockings, entirely unaware of the inner battle currently taking place in her husband's brain.

He watched her brow furrow slightly and she lifted her head slowly to look at him.

"Darling, is something the matter?" she asked in a concerned voice, she saw his hands curl into fists so tight they were shaking, but then her eyes travelled unwittingly to his crotch and she smirked, instantly realizing the reason for his current state. "Oh," she stated knowingly and spared a look to her half-naked form. She decided it wouldn't hurt to tease him a little further. She stood up and slowly made her way towards her husband's rigid form. "I'm sorry, mon cher," she cooed and smiled as she heard his breath turn shallow. "I didn't mean to make things... _hard_  for you," she purred and gently removed the cigar from his mouth, placing it in the ashtray on the small table next to the door.

She heard a low, pained growl escape him before he captured her lips in a demanding kiss. He grasped her arms firmly and turned her swiftly, pinning her between the bedroom door and his hot body. She gasped, surprised but incredibly aroused by his roughness.

He grabbed her hips and she felt his hard arousal press against her, the sheer strength of his raw, unbridled desire for her simultaneously frightened and excited her. The heady combination went straight to her head and she whimpered as her inner muscles swelled with the need for him. His lips kissed and sucked at her neck and making her dizzy with lust. Her hands went to his belt buckle, hurriedly undoing his trousers. She heard his strangled moan when her hand slipped inside and firmly embraced his hard erection.

"Tish," he said his voice raspy with desire. His hand slipped between her thighs and he groaned when he felt how damp her panties were. He grabbed at the delicate lace unceremoniously and felt it tear under the strength of his pull before discarding the soft garment.

He lifted her left leg to his hip and plunged into her so hard it nearly took her breath away. She moaned encouragingly and instinctively wrapped her legs around him tightly as his hands grabbed her behind firmly as he pounded into her - hard, their breathy moans filling the air around them.

Morticia slipped her fingers into his pomaded hair and pulled at them roughly capturing his lips is a hot, wet kiss. It felt so good, so, so good - her lips parted as the climax hit her and she let out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a moan.

Gomez grit his teeth and thrust into her even harder, feeling her muscles contracting around him in an intoxicating grip. He felt her lips against his, her soft, breathy moans driving him wild and suddenly she bit his lower lips so hard he groaned and shuddered against her, his body tensing as he climaxed and a coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.

He moaned contentedly and relaxed against her, lifting his head to look at her. She looked back and traced her thumb along his lips wiping the blood. He watched her lean forward and lick the rest of the crimson droplets from his lips.

"You're going to drive me insane," he rasped against her lips.

She only laughed in response.

"Lurch is waiting downstairs," he said in a matter of fact voice.

Her eyes widened in surprise and a pink blush coloured her neck.

"Lurch...what...Gomez!" She blurted and swatted at his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, that's why I came actually," he grinned at her embarrassment, very much aware that she knew exactly how loud they were. "But I got a little distracted."

"Ugh," she grunted dismissively and pushed him away gently, putting her feet firmly on the floor.

"Hey, you started it, cara mia" he reminded her, his tone unconcerned, smiling caddishly at her as he started to fix his clothes and heard her outraged inhale of breath.

"You should have stopped me," she said as she pulled on a fresh pair of panties.

He laughed and approached her from behind, sneaking his arms around her middle.

"Don't be cross, I couldn't have stopped you even if I wanted to," he said and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder. "I can't resist you - ever...you are so exquisite."

"Hmmm," she murmured and smiled, her annoyance evaporating."Help me with the dress, please."

If Lurch has overhead anything he didn't give out any indication as he greeted her at the car with his usual low growl. He helped her into the car and closed the door with a loud click and made his way to the driver seat.

Gomez slipped into the passenger seat next to her smiling brightly, he lifted her left hand and placed a soft kiss on her wedding ring.

"Ready, cara mia?

"Will you tell me where are we going?"

He laughed and made a clicking sound with his tongue.

"So impatient, my darling witch," he said affectionately."You will find out soon enough."

Morticia regarded him with a mock glare but didn't press. The sound of engine starting reverberated through the car and soon they were on their way.

Gomez wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled a cigar from his breast pocket.

"You know," he started casually. "I asked my mother to look for a house for us in Paris."

"Really?" she asked turning to look at him.

"Well, yeah...you don't expect us to live with Mabel for a whole year now, do you?" he replied amused.

"No, of course not," she said. "Particularly, since my bedroom is right next to hers," she added with a flirtatious smile drawing a hearty laugh out of him.

"We wouldn't want to traumatize our dear aunt," he said jovially then brought his lips close to her ear."Or would we?" he inquired suggestively, placing soft kisses along her shoulder.

"No, darling," she let out an amused laugh shaking her head and brought her left hand to caress his cheek. "We certainly would not."

* * *

Gomez smiled contentedly as he filled their glasses with his favourite champagne, watching his gorgeous wife sink into the foamy bubbles in a large bathtub in their honeymoon suite of the Magnificent Empress charter cruise. The top floor suite was luxuriously extravagant with a gold and purple decor, private balcony and, most importantly, a very spacious bed, albeit way too soft for their liking. A bottle of champagne with compliments and congratulations from the ship captain was waiting for them in the room.

They both liked the bathroom best though, it was all black marble and gold with a huge bathtub and an ocean view. Gomez decided to try it out immediately.

"That was an excellent idea, mon amour," Morticia purred closing her eyes, sinking even lower into the fragrant water, her black hair twisted into a loose bun on the top of her head.

"I'm full of excellent ideas, querida mia," he boasted, not even half-joking as he made his way towards his wife.

"Can't argue with that," she agreed and grinned at him as she accepted her champagne glass.

Gomez put his own glass at the edge of the bathtub and slipped off his robe before joining in at the opposite side to Morticia.

"It's really hot," he commented.

"Mmmm, I like it hot," she said suggestively, sliding her feet up his ribs.

"So I noticed," he said, grabbing her feet and bringing it to his lips. He grazed his teeth close to the sole and she giggled snatching her feet away. He looked at her surprised."You're ticklish," he said incredulously, in an amused half-question, half-statement tone.

She nodded.

"Extremely," she admitted.

"Beautiful, mysterious, deadly...and ticklish," he teased.

"Yep."

He laughed, then raised his glass to make a toast.

"To you, Mrs Addams," he said gallantly. "For making me the luckiest man on earth."

"You're such a charmer, darling," she said affectionately as the rims of their glasses touched with a clink. Morticia raised her glass to her lips and took a long, slow sip of the luxurious liquid.

Gomez pulled her gently toward him so she sat on his laps, her legs at either side of him.

"I have another excellent idea," he murmured against her naked breast.

"Mmmm, do you now?" She asked and moaned gently as he moved his tongue over her taut nipple.

"Yes," he replied mercilessly teasing the sensitive bud. "Let me tell you all about it."

She fisted her hand into his hair and pulled at it sharply so she could look him in the eyes.

"I always preferred a practical approach," she quipped before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss.

* * *

Their first attempt to go out to dinner at the restaurant turned out to be also their last. They didn't even make it out of the cabin before falling at each other ravenously as if they didn't just make love half an hour before. The couple quickly decided it would just be more sensible to order a room service, which luckily operated on a twenty-four- hours basis. It was handy, since by the time they have realized that they hadn't eaten since breakfast it was well past midnight.

They both sat comfortably at the small table in front of the balcony, dressed in white, soft robes they found on the bed since they couldn't be bothered with such mundane tasks as unpacking, enjoying their beef tartare paired with a bottle of nice red Beaujolais, admiring the black, starry sky and delighting in each other's company.

"Have you thought about what do you want to do after finishing your degree?" Gomez asked suddenly, between mouthfuls of raw beef.

Morticia took a sip of her wine and shrugged slightly at the question.

"Well, I was already offered a position at L'Institut Français de Sorcellerie, but..." she said and lifted her head abruptly when she heard his fork drop and hit the plate with a sharp clink. She watched in amusement as he dropped to his knees next to her and immediately started peppering her arm with hot kisses.

"Oh, Tish…" he moaned, his hand sneaking between the folds of her robe, caressing the soft skin of her thigh. "The way you speak French...it sets my blood aflame. Say something else, anything…" he begged, his lips caressing the tender skin between her neck and shoulder.

"Mon cher," she cooed, inducing another low moan from him."I worry you will not last one week in Paris," she stated, amusement colouring her voice."Let alone one year."

"That's actually a legitimate worry, querida," he chuckled and captured her smiling lips in a tender kiss. "But if you wish to live in Paris, then we shall live in Paris. It doesn't matter where as long as we're together."

Morticia smiled at him but shook her head.

"I haven't accepted their offer yet," she said and brought her hand to caress his cheek lovingly. "Aurora suggested I should rather continue my work under the American Council of Witchcraft."

"And what do you want to do?"

Morticia felt her heart swell at his thoughtfulness.

"It's still one year to go," she said linking her hands with his. "And then  _we'll_ decide."

He smiled at her tenderly.

'Ah, cara, just do what you think is best for you, all I care about is your happiness," he said lightly but his wife shook her head in a decisive manner.

"What's best for me is to be with you," she said, placing a tender kiss on his knuckles."But this is the kind of decision we should make together, mon cher."

He smiled, pleased with her words and nodded in agreement.

"I think I would prefer to live close to our families, especially when we have children - I like the idea of a whole family together," he admitted.

She smiled at his words and looked at him tenderly.

"Do you want to have children?" She asked in a manner that suggested it was more of a statement than a question.

"Someday," he admitted."Do you?"

She nodded her head gently.

"I like children, it never occurred to me not to have them and I love the idea of having a family with you," she said, her hand caressing his cheek."But... I want to enjoy being just us first."

"Mmmmm, I couldn't agree more," he said, playfully nipping at her wrist. "I rather enjoy being able to have you...all...to...myself," he added between kisses, his hand already uniting the sash on her robe.

"Gomez…" she cooed as he explored the skin behind her neck.

"Querida?" he whispered back sucking at the delicate skin and smirked when she moaned softly.

"Do you...mmmm...do you remember that night in the garden?"She asked, tilting her neck to give him better access.

" _Do I_?" he asked incredulously against her skin, his hand tracing slow circles on her bare hip.

"I want to do it to you again."

The smirk that graced his lips just a seconds ago evaporated instantly at her suggestion and Gomez Addams was sure he just forgot how breathing worked.

* * *

Morticia never particularly cared for surprises, especially since the time when she was six-years-old her mother promised her a surprise that turned out to be a visit to a local funfair where she was not allowed to go to any "dangerous" rides and The House of Horrors consisted of dolls and fake screams and even more fake blood. Needless to say, a six-year-old Morticia Frump was not impressed.

However, as she stepped into an old, grey-stone cottage on the Devil's Island, she almost giggled with glee - almost, because Morticia never giggled - and she practically pounced on her husband.

"Oh, Gomez, I love it!" She exclaimed and placed a firm kiss on his smiling lips, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's dark, it's desolate...oh darling, it's one of the most romantic places I've ever seen."

The cottage was small and bare with only one bedroom, a bathroom and a living room combined with a tiny cooking area. In the middle of the living room was a battered coffee table that was missing a leg and was supported by three quite sizeable books. There were a few large candles placed on the top of the table. Morticia noticed there wasn't a single chair in the cottage but about a dozen cushions scattered around it and on the top of the Moroccan-style carpet.

It was pleasantly cool inside - a welcome relief from the island's heat.

"I say we go and explore the bedroom," he suggested, his lips already placing soft kisses on her neck as his arms enveloping her slim waist."I haven't made love to you for far too long."

"Mhmm, six hours."

"Feels like six days," he said sighing dramatically, his fingers already working on the buttons at the back of her dress.

There was a sudden commotion at the door and they both turned to see a very tall and very muscular two-headed man, dressed in a white shirt that sat tightly around his muscular frame, a pair of khaki shorts and leather sandals entered the cottage.

"Where do you want me to put those, Mr Addams?" He asked holding all of their luggage without absolutely any effort at all.

"Bedroom would be best, I reckon," Gomez replied smiling joyfully at the man."Thank you, my good man."

The man nodded and moved with a surprising grace towards the bedroom, depositing their luggage next to the window.

Gomez waited until the man left and then turned back to his wife."So," he said and picked her up in his arms."About that bedroom…"

 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

One week into their honeymoon, Gomez Addams made two particularly beguiling discoveries that he immediately catalogued as things of vital importance for his future marital happiness. First, his beloved querida was most definitely  _not_  a morning person as Gomez had an opportunity to find out, on their first morning on the island, when he - quite innocently - attempted to wake her up with a morning kiss on her enticing bare shoulder only to have a pillow thrown at his face as his wife practically growled at him. Gomez Addams might have been an early riser, but his lovely wife was certainly not. Second, and definitely, his favourite discovery was that Morticia really enjoyed moonbathing - naked.

Due to the searing day heat on the island, they fell into a glorious habit of sleeping well into the late afternoon and staying late into the early hours of the morning - making love, talking, exploring the island and simply enjoying being together.

Gomez sighed happily as he stretched out languidly, completely naked, on his beach towel, admiring the equally naked goddess beside him and the enchanting way the lantern illuminated her glorious body.

"Ok, your favourite person from the history," his wife asked from her place next to him where she lay on her stomach, leisurely flipping through the Italian Renaissance Artbook she found in the cottage.

Gomez smiled and took a short puff of his cigar before replying: "Ivan the Terrible," he replied releasing the fragrant smoke from his mouth.

"Oh, he  _was_  sweet," she agreed as she continued flipping through the glossy pages.

"Favourite author," he asked.

She narrowed her eyes in concentration before replying: "Hmmm, I don't know, I change them so frequently," she mused and rested her chin on the pillow of her hand."But I'd say...Dostoyevsky."

"Impeccable taste, my dear," he praised."But then, I expected nothing else from you. No-one basks in a misery quite like the Russians"

"So true," she agreed and leaned closer to kiss him.

"I have another one," he said."The book so boring it made your eyes bleed."

"Oh, that's easy," she laughed."Potions - Advanced Theory and Practice, there's no competition here."

Gomez let out a loud, hearty laugh.

"Oooh, Mama will be so devastated, she loves potions," he commented joyfully.

"I think there was that one time I actually fell asleep during potions class. Thankfully, I have my friend, Dalia, who loves potions so I always use her notes. She's probably the only reason I haven't flunked the hell out of that class," she admitted wrinkling her nose at the memory and smiled when Gomez laughed even harder. "But I swear the chapter on the importance of proper measurement and quality of ingredients in potions making should be declared an international cure for insomnia - but don't tell Mama I said that!" she added pointing her slim finger at him.

"I promise," he said, laughing jovially.

"I love your laugh," she said, tracing her thumb along his lower lips."You know, it was the first thing I noticed about you."

"Really?" he asked biting into her thumb cheekily.

She nodded.

"I think you laughed at something your father said, then I noticed you and I just couldn't stop staring at you, all through the eulogy," she said slowly and kissed him gently on his lips."Your eyes...your lips...your moustache…" she whispered between the soft kisses.

"I noticed you straight away, from the moment you stepped out of the car, in that black, velvet cloak, "he reminisced."Everyone was staring at you."

She let out a gentle laugh."People always stare at me," she said."When you're as pale as I am - it's a given."

"Querida," he laughed wryly. "I meant  _all the men_  in there were staring at you - this mysterious enchantress, so pale, so breathtakingly beautiful - no-one even looked at the corpse."

"Are you trying to make me blush?"She said teasingly and caressed his cheek affectionately."You're really sweet."

"Come on, you must know the effect you have on men," he insisted his hand playing lazily with her raven tresses.

She let out a wry laugh and shrugged noncommittally.

"Effect on men," she repeated sardonically."Yes, of course, I know but what does it matter, really? Any man can be seduced by a beautiful woman. It's hardly an accomplishment."

"Ah, but you are so much more than beauty, cara," he said and brought her hand to his lips."You are so incredibly smart and talented. You are very honest and independent. You like to take care of people, you like to make people you care about feel loved and appreciated - I think that's what fascinates me in you the most, you are so beautiful in every possible way," he said fiercely and pressed his lips to her knuckles.

She was very glad it was midnight because she was sure her cheeks were now pink with embarrassment.

Of course, she knew she was beautiful, she was never coquettish about that, she appreciated her beauty and used it unapologetically when it suited her. Perhaps, she thought, there was a certain element of arrogance in it, but she was certainly accustomed to men complimenting her beauty and staring hungrily at her body - it really didn't impress her. Besides, men weren't usually very original with their compliments. Yet, there was something in the way Gomez said those things that made her stomach flutter. His words were not empty phrases, overused cliches. His endearments were laced with such love and devotion they never failed to shock her with their intensity, they made her knees weak. There was no doubt that when he unabashedly admired and devoured her body, when called her his goddess, he meant it with every fibre of his being and she adored it. She absolutely adored  _him_.

She leaned forward and placed a firm kiss on his lips and he laced his finger through her dark, silky tresses.

"You are everything a man could dream of," he whispered lovingly."And you could have had any man you'd want to and yet... here you are."He could feel her body tense slightly and she closed the book with a sharp snap.

"Gomez," she said softly and climbed on top of him, her lips hovering just above his."I only want you and I belong only to you," she said firmly and captured his lips in a loving kiss."You're everything to me, mon amour, don't you know that?"

"Querida," he said lovingly, sticking his half-smoked cigar into the sand. He slid his hands just above her hips and looked at her tenderly, the love he saw reflected in her eyes made his mouth dry and he had to lick his lips."You are too good to me."

She let out an exasperated sigh and actually rolled her eyes at him."I wish you'd stop saying things like that."

"I can't help it," he admitted and let out an embarrassed half-laugh."I keep wondering what have I done to deserve you in my life?"

"Well, that's very counterproductive."

He laughed again tilting his head back.

"Very much so," he agreed.

"Why do you do that then?"

He gave out a noncommittal shrug and, for a few contemplative moments, kept staring at the stars silently before his face turned into a frown.

"I drove my brother away," he finally said, choosing his words carefully - still not looking at her, his voice raw with emotions, with guilt."I didn't want to...but I didn't think, I didn't realize he was in love with them or... maybe at that point I didn't even care...I don't know."

Morticia watched him close his eyes briefly and bit his lips at the painful memories. She knew from her sister that the infamous 'them' were the Amour twins. Gomez never talked about what happened in much detail and she must admit she was a little hurt that he didn't want or wasn't comfortable with sharing this part of his life with her, unsavoury as it may be. It irked her, undeniably, that the little she knew about the whole debacle with his brother came mainly from Ophelia. Gomez only admitted to having a huge fight with Fester and, as a result, his brother took off to God knows where. Of course, Morticia could easily find out what really happened, but that wasn't the point. The point was for him to tell her, not for her to find out.

"I broke his heart," he continued in a painful whisper." I broke my mother's heart, I destroyed the happiness of my family - all because of my selfishness and my foolish pride," he admitted turning to face her, his voice heavy with guilt."And I expected...you see I would understand, if for what I've done, my life would be forever miserable, I would deserve it, but instead I met you...and  _you_  I don't understand. It just doesn't make sense. I fear that maybe this is all some twisted fate, that it's not meant to last, because it's just too wonderful, too...magical to be really happening to me, not after what I've done," he said and gave out a mirthless laugh."How pathetic does that sound, cara mia?" he asked wrapping his arms around her tighter. He suddenly felt very vulnerable admitting all that to her.

She looked at him tenderly and he saw no pity in her eyes, just unbridled love and understanding.

"You talk like you're such a bad person, but if you're such a despicable human being as you're claiming to be you wouldn't be so tortured by all this, you wouldn't regret it," she said and he was stunned at the fierceness in her voice. He was oddly flattered by her defence of him."That night, at our engagement party, do you remember what you've told me?"

"That I don't deserve you…"

"Not  _that_. After, what you've told me after that," she pressed."About the time you first saw me."

He nodded."That you'd be my second chance, and if you agree to marry me, I will become the man you deserve," he whispered.

"Yes. That," she nodded and stroked his cheek tenderly."You know, I wasn't even supposed to be at that funeral, I didn't even know your cousin. I begged my father to let me go with them because I have never been to a funeral before, and my mother convinced him he could spoil me a little because I was doing so well at school."

"Bet he regrets agreeing to it now," Gomez grinned despite himself.

Morticia laughed gently at his comment.

"My point is," she continued."I don't make you a good person, because I don't believe you've ever been bad, to begin with, but…" she hesitated and frowned slightly."Whatever you've done to your brother to drive him away is not ok and I'm not trying to claim otherwise, but everyone makes mistakes."

"It's more than a mere mistake, cara," he interrupted, his voice sharper than he intended.

"Fine," she agreed and took a big breath before continuing."Even if what you've done is a truly one, epic, spectacular fuck up," she said and smirked when his eyes widened in surprise upon hearing her swear. "It doesn't need to define you, who you are or who you choose to be...am I making sense?"

He nodded but stayed silent.

"Witches," she continued."Believe strongly in a destiny, that nothing ever happens by chance," she said slowly."And I know we were destined to meet, to fall in love and be together exactly as it happened and there was no way around it; it was just meant to be and we will live together in our own gloriously miserable happily ever after. There's not an obstacle in life that will ever change that, because we will face them all -  _together_. So, never question whether you deserve it or not. We should just be grateful it happened," she said insistently."I love you and nothing can ever change that."

Gomez cleared his throat and swallowed heavily. He suddenly realized how much he needed to hear that - from her.

"You know," he started, his voice hoarse with emotions."I didn't think I could love you any more than I already do, but...I feel like I'm falling in love with you more and more every day."

She smiled at him lovingly and stroked his hair gently.

"That sounds like an excellent plan, mon cher" she whispered against his lips, before capturing them in a searing kiss.

* * *

Despite being already a late afternoon, the heat was relentless Thankfully the sea breeze provided much-needed respite from the searing temperatures and so Morticia insisted upon visiting the ruins of the old prison.

Gomez smiled at his bride as they walked hand in hand through a vast area of vibrant green grass, exotic plants and palm trees on their way to the ruins.

Morticia was looking around, eagerly exploring the desolated place. She was impressed by how well preserved the ruins were, but Gomez's eyes were only on his beautiful wife. He really liked the image she presented - due to the blistering heat, she has completely forgone her usual makeup, her dark tresses were twisted into a low, comfortable chignon at the nape of her neck. She was dressed in a beautifully ornamented, black kaftan dress - one of the many gifts for Morticia from Gomez's Maghrebian cousins, who regrettably couldn't attend their wedding, but compensated their absence in a true Addams style- sending Gomez's bride an impressive array of luxurious gifts, among them a beautiful collection of Moroccan - style kaftan dresses that truly came in handy in the Caribbean blazing heat.

"Oh Gomez, this place just reeks of fear, death and misery," she said clasping her hand together in awe as they walked slowly through the abandoned building.

"Just imagine all the pain and torture that went in here," he said sliding his palm over the rough stone wall."Gives me goosebumps," he added excitedly.

"I know," she agreed and smiled at him.

They entered one of the prison cells and Morticia noticed that the curved, rusty remnants of the thick metal hoops on the wall used to hold prisoners in shackles with hands bound above their heads were still intact. She felt a sudden excitement course through her body and she turned slowly to her husband who was standing next to the barred window.

"Gomez," she purred somewhat hesitatingly.

"Cara mia?"

"Look," she pointed at the hooks behind her.

Gomez's eyes followed the line of her forefinger and his mouth curled in a furtive smile.

"Sturdy little things, aren't they?" he commented casually standing next to her.

"Yes," she agreed slowly and then moved her hands to his belt buckle."Care to try them out?"

He looked at her, entirely sure he has misheard her and swallowed heavily.

"Try them out?" he blurted.

"Yes, let's see how much...torture can you stand…," she said playfully in such a low, suggestive voice he was becoming hard at the very sound of it.

"All right," he agreed eagerly and watched her unbuckle his belt and slip it out the loops of his trousers. She took his cigar from him and threw it carelessly on the ground, before making a hoop at the buckled side of the belt around his right wrist and tightened it firmly.

"Stand against the wall," she asked him softly but her eyes were burning with excitement.

He did as she asked and raised his arms, so she could slip the leather belt through the metal hoop and wrap it in a knot around his left wrist. He wriggled his hands and was surprised at how tight the knot actually was.

"How does it feel?" she asked, her face so close next to his neck he could feel her warm breath on his skin.

"Tight," he said, his voice already heavy with desire.

She looked at him from under her thick lashes and smiled suggestively.

"You like it, mon cher," she said with a knowing smirk and saw him nod at her eagerly. She placed her hand on his chest and kissed him, all lips, tongue and teeth and he groaned with pleasure.

He felt her hands undo the buttons of his white, linen shirt agonizingly slowly as she kissed and bit at his neck downwards until she reached his chest and flicked her tongue over his nipple before biting it hard. He hissed with both pain and pleasure and she looked up at him hesitantly.

"Don't stop," he said immediately, his voice heavy with lust. He could feel her smile against his skin as her lips embraced his nipple and she dug her vermillion nails into the skin of his abdomen painfully and dragged them slowly towards the hem of his trousers leaving dark pink lines on their way. He moaned and her lips moved downwards kissing, biting, licking and sucking at his skin and the combination made him so unbearably hard, his whole body jerked against her and he almost whimpered with need.

And then her lips were suddenly back next to his ear, her hands grasping at the hem of his trousers.

"I love the way your body feels," she whispered seductively and her hand moved between his legs to cup him.

He groaned with pleasure, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. His hands itched to touch her and he moved against his restraints, the leather digging painfully into the skin of his wrists.

"You are so hard," she said appreciatively as she caressed his erection through the material of his trousers."I want to taste you, mon amour."

"Gods, Tish," he groaned and twitched against her hand, breathing hard. His heart hammering in his chest.

"Yes, darling?" she asked innocently nipping at the skin behind his ear and slipped her hand into his trousers to caress him.

He tilted his head with a loud groan of pleasure: "Please," he asked in a voice desperate with need and felt her smile against his skin.

He watched, tantalised, as she opened his trousers and went down on her knees before him, sliding his trousers along with her. She wrapped her soft hand around his hard erection and he let out a shaky moan.

She lifted her head slightly and saw him staring at her in anticipation, his chest heaving with an elaborated breathing.

She moved her hand in an up and down motion stroking the tip of his penis with her thumb before embracing it with her red lips, moaning softly with pleasure. She loved doing it to him, it excited her to give him such intense pleasure. She moved her mouth luxuriously around him, while massaging him with her thumb and forefinger and Gomez felt as if he was about to come apart at the seams, the feeling of her lips on him combined with the pain of the leather digging into his wrists was driving him mad with pleasure. He felt her nails scratch his inner thigh so close to his testicles that he could not help but groan loudly. She was killing him. He moaned her name in warning as she began to suck at him and came so hard he actually screamed - his body convulsing in the tremors of his climax.

Next thing he knew she was standing in front of him, her eyes blazing with need and excitement. She slipped her tongue between his lips, he could taste himself on her tongue and it was making him dizzy with lust for her.

"Tish, untie me," he asked in a voice laced with such desire it made her body quivered with the need for him."I need to touch you, querida, I'll go mad if I don't."

She nodded and her hands went up to untie him and watched him slide his hands out of his leather bonds, his breathing still uneven from the aftermath of his climax. He inspected his wrists - they were deep red from the friction. He lifted his head to look at her and she inhaled sharply at the unhinged desire in them.

Before she could even discern, she was pressed roughly against the wall, her hands up against the cold stone, her heart hammering wildly with excitement. She lifted her arm for support and rested her forehead against it. She felt him pressing against her, hard and pulsing with need, his eager hands roaming over her body, his laboured breathing against her neck. She realized she was shaking with anticipation and desire.

"My minx," he whispered lovingly, kissing the back of her neck, his fingers squeezing her hard nipples through the thin material of her dress, his voice hoarse with lust for her. His hands went to the hem of her dress and pulled it above her hips. He groaned in delight when he realized she wasn't wearing any underwear before his fingers slid in between her thighs to caress her and she moaned with pleasure.

"Gomez," she moaned his name impatiently and tried to turn towards him, but he pressed against her, pinning her between himself and the wall.

"No, cara, I want to take you like this," he said roughly, spreading her legs and slipping into her from behind in one smooth motion.

She gasped, her lips parting in a breathless moan as he filled her.

"You like that, Tish?" he asked hoarsely as he pushed into her roughly.

"Oh, God, oh - yes," she moaned loudly and his hands grabbed her hips forcefully, digging his nails into her soft skin as he pounded into her. "Oh, Gomez harder - yes, oh mon cher, yes," she whimpered and closed her eyes when he complied, their breathy moans filling the tiny cell. He slipped his hand between her thighs and his hand moved in a rhythmic caress while he thrust into her in hard, forceful motions. The combination filled her with such an unbelievable pleasure she was aware of nothing but him and the heat in her groin.

Suddenly, he sank his teeth sharply into her shoulder and her climax hit her so violently she cried out and arched against him, her inner muscles contracting around him so fiercely that he could not hold on any longer and she soon felt his body twitch against hers as he came, groaning loudly into her neck.

He inhaled deeply, holding her hips closely against him until the last tremors of her climax subdued and he let out a loud, satisfied sigh, slipping out of her and turning her towards him.

She smiled at him contentedly and he bent his head to place a tender kiss on her lips.

"You'll be the death of me, Mrs Addams," he whispered between uneven breaths.

She laughed happily and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ah, but what a way to die, mon savage," she said before capturing his lips in a loving kiss.

* * *

Morticia was trying her earnest to focus on reading at least one measly chapter of the book Aurora gave her, but her eyes kept wandering off to where her husband stood in the small kitchenette area, brewing them a fresh pot of coffee. She thought she would never get used to how devilishly handsome he was. She also found it both admirable and amusing how attentive he was to his own look. Even here and now, on a practically deserted island, in a sweltering heat, his hair was meticulously pomaded and he shaved twice a day, almost religiously. It wasn't exactly vanity, although perhaps it was for he certainly took pride in the way he looked. She has never met anyone so comfortable in his own body. He simply radiated with a devilish charm and unbridled confidence that at times bordered dangerously on arrogance.

"How does one bewitch a man?"Her husband asked, interrupting her contemplations.

Morticia lowered the book to her knees and raised her left eyebrow in an amused surprise at the question.

"One shows up at the funeral of the man's cousin, looking fabulous," she deadpanned and went back to reading her book, drawing a cheerful laugh out of him.

"Touché," he grinned at her and poured the black, steamy liquid into two cups he previously set on the counter."But seriously, how is it done?"

"A witch never tells her secrets," she sing-said, pretending to get back to her reading.

"Oh, come on, my darling witch," he insisted as he placed the two steaming cups of black coffee on the table in front of them. Morticia only smiled at him furtively. "Have you ever bewitched a man?" he asked instead as he sat next to her on the cushions.

She knew exactly where he was going with it and she had to bite her cheeks in an attempt to stop the laugh that was threatening to escape.

"Naturally," she replied casually and watched his eyes widen in surprise."Every witch needs to know how to bewitch a man."

"Who was he?"

"Just a random man," she said uncaringly, purposely not looking at him and slowly turned the page of the book.

"Was it me?" he asked cheekily.

She tilted her head back and her pearly laugh reverberated throughout the room. She looked at him, her eyes illuminated with an amusement.

"Darling," she said between the fits of laughter."You proclaimed your undying love and proposed to me less than two hours after I first laid my eyes on you - that's not enough time to collect the ingredients let alone brew a bewitching potion."

Gomez tilted his head and laughed loudly."Good point," he admitted grinning at her."So who was he?"

"Who?"She looked at him blankly, feigning ignorance.

He looked at her pointedly but she just fluttered her lashes coquettishly.

"The man you bewitched," he insisted."Tell me cara, I want to know."

"Oh, all right. His name was François, he was a psychology student at Paris University," she said while running her nails across his cheek in a comforting manner."Actually, he was a great fencing enthusiast. Perhaps you two would get along," she teased.

"Not bloody likely," he replied and smiled at her."I know it's awfully hypocritical of me, but a mere thought of some other man touching you, tasting those glorious lips...it makes my blood boil," he admitted sheepishly.

"Indeed, it's very hypocritical," she agreed."Not to mention terribly chauvinistic."

"Forgive me, my love. I'm a fool…" he apologized immediately but stopped abruptly at the sight of mischief in her dark eyes.

"Mmmmm, I think," she said, sliding her hand slowly against his chest before her fist curled into his shirt and her lips curled into a slow, seductive smile."I must definitely punish you for this despicable behaviour, mon cher," she added suggestively.

He let out a low moan of delight and captured her lips in a hot, demanding kiss, pushing her on top of the array of soft cushions.

"Tish," he whispered, his voice suddenly hesitant."Yesterday...I wasn't too rough, was I? I didn't -"

"- oh no," she interjected immediately."I love it when you take me hard," she purred, placing her hands on the sides of his face and looked at him straight in the eyes."When you're so... raw and unhinged - it scares me… It makes me want you so desperately my whole body quivers with the need for you," she added drawing a delighted moan out of him.

"Keep talking," he said slipping his hand between her legs and his lips curved into a satisfied smirk when he felt she was already ready for him, before settling between her thighs.

"And I like you wearing my marks," she moaned in a breathy whisper against his lips, capturing them in a possessive kiss before taking his hand and brought it to her lips, licking the red and purple bruise around his wrist.

Gomez let out another low growl and buried his head into her neck, kissing and sucking the soft skin. He felt her glorious legs wrap around his waist and grabbed at his shoulders, digging her nails deep into his skin and he groaned appreciatively before pushing into her sharply and they both groaned in a delight. He pushed into her again and again and soon she felt the familiar, warm tension in her lower abdomen and at the back of her thighs.

She cried out as he captured her lower lip and bit into it hard, her release pounding deep inside her groin, she heard him whisper her name and could feel him hot and pulsing inside her, before he collapsed gently on top of her, damp and flushed. She sighed, inhaling the spicy scent of his skin mixed with the unmistakable aroma of his cigars and smiled contentedly allowing herself to sink into a familiar bliss of post-coital drowsiness.

* * *

It was still early morning when Mrs Addams was woken up by the unmistakable sound of singing coming from the adjacent bathroom. She frowned in confusion, recognizing the tune of the famous Neapolitan song before her eyelids fluttered open and she rubbed her eyes gently to get rid of the last remnants of sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she found her husband leaning casually against the door frame, smiling at her happily, a grey towel wrapped lazily around his hips, his black hair already pomaded and brushed neatly to the back.

"That's an impressive voice," she commented, sleep still tugging at her voice, smiling softly when he flopped on the bed next to her."I didn't know you can sing."

He grinned at her and leaned forward to place a morning kiss on her crimson lips.

"Am I not full of surprises, cara mia?" he asked suggestively and watched her lips curl into a bemused smile."My grandmama was an opera singer."

"Your mother mentioned once that you used to like singing operas, but I didn't quite believe her."

"Has she?" he asked and she thought she saw a flicker of sadness cross his face.

"Mhm," she nodded against his lips, smiling softly at him."I thought she was jesting."

"No, it's true, I used to do that," he confirmed with a small smile.

"Why did you stop?" She asked casually, tracing idle patterns on his chest.

He shrugged and looked away, his body tensing at the question. He felt himself getting angry, at himself or at her or at the question - he wasn't sure. He heard her whisper his name softly and forced himself to relax.

"Gomez?" she repeated his name tentatively and frowned, stopping the soft cares and tried to remove her hand but he grabbed it before she could do so."Did I say something wrong?"

He looked at her then, startled by the question.

"No. No Tish, you could never say anything wrong," he said passionately and placed a soft kiss to her knuckles. He placed his hand over her bare hip and was relieved when she didn't flinch away from him, but he could feel her body was tense.

"Then what is it?"

He exhaled impatiently before replying.

"Nothing, cara."

"Is it about Fester?" she pressed."You've stopped after he left? Is that what is it?"

He didn't reply but it was clear she hit the right nail. She took a deep breath and moved closer to him."You've said you don't want any secrets between us."

"I meant it."

"But you get angry when I try to ask about your brother," she pointed out.

"I told you what happened," he said defensively.

"But you didn't...not really," she said softly."All of you act like he's a taboo, you barely mention his name."

"I don't want to talk about it, Tish," he said sharply and felt her tense. He watched her bite her lips thoughtfully and he knew she was getting annoyed with him.

"How is this marriage suppose to work, if you're not comfortable sharing that with me?"She whispered in a hurtful, exasperated tone.

He looked away in silence but wrapped his arms tighter around her. He knew he had to, he wanted to, but he just couldn't tell her, because what he's done was so disgusting. Even though he regretted it with every particle of his soul, the truth remained that he was selfish, uncaring, despicable excuse for a man whose actions almost destroyed his family.

"You're right," he whispered.

She looked at him in a mild surprise but said nothing.

"I won't keep secrets from you, I promise," he said, resting his forehead against hers, his voice rough."We will talk about it, it's just…," he hesitated, inhaling deeply."Just not now, cara...I can't talk about it yet."

She looked at him tenderly and nodded, slipping her hand behind his neck she leaned closer to kiss him - long and slow.

"Tell me you love me," he whispered into her ear and almost cringed at the vulnerability that was so clearly laced into his voice. He pulled her to lay on top of him and she smiled at him softly. He smiled back.

"I love you," she said without hesitation."I love you so much, mon amour."

* * *

They decided to spend their last day on the Devil's Island in bed. It was too hot for a walk anyway. The late afternoon has brought no respite, its unbearable breezeless heat penetrated every corner of the island, so they closed the heavy window shutters to keep some cool in the cottage. Morticia was laying on her stomach - napping, her arms spread at either side of the pillow, Gomez laying next to her on his side tracing lazy patterns on her bare back. His fingers moved to trace along an extensive, thin scar across her lower back and he leaned down to place a soft kiss on the uneven flesh. He smiled when he heard her soft murmur.

"Tish," he said against her skin.

"Mmmmm?"

"Where did you get that?"

"Get what?" She asked sleepily.

"The scar."

She frowned and lifted herself on her forearms glancing at to where he was pointing.

"Oh, that," she said dismissively and returned to her earlier position."That was a long time ago."

He waited for her to elaborate but to his surprise, she stayed silent. He looked back at the jagged, pale skin and frowned. He recognized the type of scar instantly the first time he saw it, there was no mistaking it for anything else - a whip, but it was faded, much lighter than her already marble white skin, which told him it must have happened when she was a child.

"It's a whip scar," he said gently and lay down on his side next to her, propping his head on the pillow of his hand.

She nodded without opening her eyes.

"Someone used a whip on you," he said, knowing he was pretty much stating the obvious."When you were a child."

"Yes," she said in a bored tone that indicated that she wasn't going to elaborate on the subject any further.

"Did your father whip you?" he pressed even though he knew with utmost certainty that Mortimer Frump would never raise his hand on either of his daughters, not to mention a whip, but he wanted to prod her into talking and it worked.

Her eyes popped open wide at the suggestion.

"Of course not," she huffed, almost offended at the idea.

"Then who?"

"It doesn't matter, it was a long time ago," she said and smiled, leaning closer to kiss him.

He knew she was trying to divert him from the subject and he had to admit she was doing a pretty good job when her hand slipped to his bare hip and he inhaled sharply, almost forgetting what were they talking about.

"You're trying to distract me, cara."

"Is it working?" she asked playfully, placing soft kisses on his jaw.

"No," he said in a rough voice.

She laughed.

"Liar."

Gomez grabbed her hands and rolled them over pinning her down to the bed and arms at either side of her. She reached up to kiss him but he didn't let her and she moaned in annoyance.

"What happened to the No Secrets rule?" he insisted.

"Oh dear, aren't you persisting today?" she mocked with her eyebrow raised.

"Very much," he agreed and released her hands, propping himself on his forearms."Now tell me."

She winced at the idea and tilted her head up, groaning in defeat, her reluctance more than obvious to him, but then she took a deep, slow breath and turned her head back to him.

"It was our neighbour, back when we used to live in the South. I was six-years-old, playing with the bats in the forest near our house. I didn't notice him coming and he sneaked up on me and whipped me," she recalled in such a mundane voice she might as well be reciting a recipe from a cookbook.

His eyes widened in shock and for a few long minutes, he was speechless. He just couldn't comprehend what she's just told him.

"A grown man whipped you? A mere child?"He blurted finally and was surprised when she let out a mirthless laugh

"He didn't whip a child, Gomez," she said slowly looking at him pointedly."He whipped a  _witch_."

He frowned at her.

"Did your father kill him for this?"He asked in a tone that suggested that, in his mind, it was the only obvious thing to do.

She laughed gently, oddly touched at his reaction before shaking her head.

"No? Why not? How could he let him get away with this?" he asked, outraged.

"I never told them...my parents...I told Ophelia and she helped me wipe the blood and patch it up," she explained.

"Why didn't you tell them?"

She shrugged in response and frowned slightly:"I didn't want to cause even more trouble..." she said but stopped abruptly when she noticed his face clouding with anger."Gomez," she cooed and brought her hands to caress his cheeks comfortingly. "That was fifteen years ago, no need to cry over a spilt henbane juice. Besides, it was a really small town," she said as if it explained everything, but seeing that his frown only deepened, she continued."You know, small community, religious to the point of fanaticism and very prejudiced - my mother's hometown actually. My father's family was from Salem, so when they moved there, the rumours started that we had a witch in the family."

"Mabel," Gomez said knowingly.

"Yes," Morticia agreed, nodding."But Mabel moved to Paris soon after, my grandmother was long dead by that time. Then my parents met and married and when they had Ophelia - this blond, blue-eyed angel - the rumours died its natural death, so they lived a very peaceful, small-town life," she explained and allowed a small smirk to grace her lips. "Until they had me, that is."

Gomez nodded but stayed silent hoping she will continue. She did.

"So you can imagine...I mean maybe you can't but for those people, I looked like a spawn of the devil himself -and not in a good way - pale like a death, with hair black like the depths of Tartarus," she said, unwittingly touching her black tresses. "Actually, we found it pretty amusing initially, especially when the old ladies would make a sign of the cross every time my mother walked past with me," she smiled at the memory."There was this one lady, Mrs Richards, who always carried a small bottle of a holy water with her and tried to sprinkle me with it every chance she got, so it was all pretty funny and harmless."

Gomez felt her shift under him and moved off of her, laying down in his earlier position on his side, but wrapped his arm around her and she smiled at the gesture.

"And yet you ended up with a ten inches long whip scar," he said pointedly.

"Well yes, but that was Mr Gill, our neighbour, he was quite old, I think in his seventies," she said narrowing her eyes slightly in concentration."Anyway, he thought of himself as one of those holier than thou people, holier than our minister - which was really ironic, because the church minister was always very kind to me," she smiled slightly at the memory before continuing."Mr Gill...he first saw me playing with my pet vultures when I was four and started this talk around the town that I was weird, spooky but...you know...people ignored him, everybody thought he was a lunatic anyway. Then, one night … I was six by then, almost seven...someone thought it would be funny to goad him and killed his dog, they skinned it and hanged it on his porch and wrote "beware of the witches" with a red paint."

"And he thought it was you?!" he asked in disbelief.

"Instantly," she confirmed."He banged on our door early in the morning, shouting and screaming that I have murdered his dog, that I was just like my aunt - a witch and I should burn."

"But you were just a child, surely he realized you were not capable of orchestrating such thing - you were too young."

"You would think, but you see if you repeat something for a long time, people start to believe it and the incident gave a credibility to an old rumour."

"Mabel."

She nodded. "Yes, my father's sister who never visited - a witch, who lived in France," she said."And suddenly, the ravings of an old lunatic about strange, pale child who played with vultures got a whole new look. Soon after, Ophelia and I overheard my mother telling the father that some town folks were taking Mr Gill's allegation seriously and considered burning the little witch - before I grow up. Catch the monster while it's little before I get stronger and things may get out of hand - but my father told her to ignore it, that it was just good old, bored town's folk. But I was really scared, I started having these dreams... of witches burned at stakes, and yet they didn't feel like dreams, almost like memories…," she said and shook her head."It's hard to explain."

"That's why your family moved," he said in a half-question, half-statement manner, looking at her tenderly.

"Not straight away. We've moved when I was about nine, papa was convinced that it would all calm down eventually, that people would forget."

"But they didn't," he guessed.

"No," she shook her head." Well, in all fairness it was probably largely my own fault," she said with a mirthless smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't let them forget," she explained." Not intentionally, I didn't go around the town making magic or anything like that, but you know when he whipped me...I was so shocked I didn't even cry, it burned like a fire and it made me so…," she frowned scrambling for words."Angry and scared, and when I turned to him he was holding that whip wrapped around his hand, ready to strike me again, so I closed my eyes, covering my face with my hands and I wished for that whip to burn his hand, I imagined it vividly burning his skin…," she whispered not looking at him."...and it did. He screamed, trying to slide it off his hand but it wouldn't budge. I looked at him then and … I saw...that he was scared of me, he was terrified," she said in a calm voice and looked up at him."And then I thought that if he feared me, he would be too scared to kill me, but...well it worked for a while but eventually kind of backfired."

"How come?"

"He started telling people that I was a satan, not a witch anymore - a satan, dark magic. I heard my parents arguing about it, my mother insisted we should leave the town before those people hurt me or at least to send me away to Paris, but my father refused."

"So what finally prompted him to change his mind?" he asked carefully.

"Ah well, the kids at school started teasing us, me and Ophelia, telling us they will burn the witch's house, things like that. The teacher paid them no mind, he said to my mother not to worry, it's just kids being kids," she said sourly."But then, a couple of older kids from school decided to play Burn a Witch, thankfully quite unsuccessfully, they were spotted by the minister before anything serious happened, so I just ended up with a bloody nose and few bruises."

He swallowed heavily, digesting what she's just told him. He wasn't a fool, he knew his own family was always regarded as highly eccentric. He remembered his father mentioning once that weird is only a question of money and he reckoned it was very much the truth. The Addams clan was unbelievably rich, they could afford to be as weird as they pleased and people would always regard them as eccentric.

And yet, an odd, pale, raven-haired child was on the wrong side of weird, so weird that people thought it was acceptable to abuse her and threaten her with death.

"I got home and went straight to my room to clean the blood," she continued." I didn't want my mother to see me, she was already so worried about me," she explained softly."But when I was cleaning the blood off my clothes I got so angry I started crying," she frowned at the memory."Because I knew I didn't deserve any of this, I've never done anything to those people. So I thought if they wanted to play with fire I shall give them the fire...and well," she laughed mirthlessly." It was not my brightest moment, but I was too angry to think it through."

"What did you do?"

"I burned the school down," she said simply. "The whole building, to the grounds."

"Really?" he asked joyfully.

She nodded, amused by his enthusiasm.

"Of course, there was no evidence linking me to it, but people just knew and my father called me out on it. He got really mad but," she stopped abruptly and smiled at the memory. "After that, not a single person dared to threaten me with anything."

He laughed.

"Dramatic, but got the job done?" he commented.

"I guess, but things got really awkward for my family, so father decided to move away soon after," she said, biting her lower lip.

Gomez pulled her closer.

"Thank you for telling me this, I know it wasn't easy for you," he whispered his voice rasp with emotions. "I'm sorry it happened to you."

She gave out an unconcerned shrug but swallowed heavily.

"It was a long time ago," she repeated." Although, it was really scary at times," she admitted."I guess people don't react well to the things they don't understand."

"Some people," he said and kissed the top of her nose tenderly.

"Some people," she agreed."Maybe for the better," she added."After all, if we haven't moved, we would have never met."

"Ah, cara mia," he sighed dramatically and rolled on to his back, pulling her on top of him. "There isn't a universe in which we are not madly in love," he said drawing an amused laugh from her.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for all the reviews and kudos, I can't even tell you how much they mean to me! :)

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The airport was buzzing with activity.

After three weeks of a glorious isolation from the outside world, the sheer array of different noises felt quite overwhelming.

It was odd to be back.

It was a beautiful yet surprisingly cold Saturday afternoon. The September sky was completely covered with a thick blanket of grey clouds and the air smelled of an upcoming rain. It was Morticia's favourite kind of weather, she always found it particularly romantic. Nevertheless, she wrapped her arms around herself and briefly wished she had brought her cloak as they were waiting for Lurch to bring the car.

They have arrived three days earlier than they originally planned as they had to take a plane flight back home when it turned out that the cruise they were supposed to take sank mysteriously in the middle of the sea, with no survivors and no sign of the wreckage. Until the search was over no ships were allowed to sail in the area. Naturally, both Gomez and Morticia were severely disappointed to miss out on such an exciting adventure, but alas there was nothing they could do. To make matters worse, the only plane seats available were the first class and so they also had to forgo the delightful discomforts of the economy flights. All in all, they were not impressed.

Still, Morticia was undeniably excited for their life together. She wondered, what a marital routine looks like when you're married to this mad Castilian she called husband and couldn't help but smile at the prospect.

"I think,"her husband murmured into her hair as he came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle."Three weeks is not nearly enough for a proper honeymoon."

"Mmmmm, I couldn't agree more," she said softly, turning her head towards her husband's smiling features."I think we should definitely start planning for our second honeymoon," she added suggestively.

Her husband grunted in agreement, already attacking her pale neck with a myriad of loving kisses.

"And then third, fourth and fifth," he added between the kisses."Hell, we shall honeymoon at least once a year."

"That's a marvellous idea, darling."

"By the way, apparently," Gomez said lightly, in a voice already muffled by his cigar, as he put his blazer around Morticia's shoulders and his wife graced him with a grateful smile."Cleopatra and Thing do not get along all that well."

"Oh?"

"Lurch said she tried to eat Thing on several occasions, so in revenge, he replaced her meals with veggie burgers."

Morticia winced and bit her nail thoughtfully.

"Oh, dear."

* * *

Eudora Addams absolutely adored her daughter-in-law. She really did. Not only she had a wonderful influence on her son but she was truly a delight to be around with. With everything almost ready for their move to Paris, the young Mrs Addams happily dedicated her mornings to helping Eudora with gardening, brewing potions and practising her magic spells while Gomez tended to various business matters with his father.

Eudora was really impressed with the knowledge of the dark arts Morticia already possessed - being such a young witch after all, and although she thought her potions making skills needed refinement, she immediately understood why Aurora was so fond of her. Morticia's work ethics were truly admirable - there was not an ounce of arrogance in her, she accepted Eudora's instruction with gratitude and an immense amount of grace.

So all in all, Eudora couldn't complain. The young couple's presence truly brightened her everyday routine and she will certainly miss them when they move to Paris in less than two weeks from now.

However, that being said, in the single week since Gomez and Morticia returned from their honeymoon, Eudora Addams praised herself inwardly numerous times for allocating the couple the large bedroom at the very end of the East Wing of the mansion. To her utter dismay, three weeks of honeymoon have done absolutely nothing to quench the young couple's desire for each other and within one single week, she lost count of the number of times she walked in on them in flagrante delicto, so to speak, in various locations within the house. Her son, in particular, seemed to have lost the little self-control he possessed during their courting. Hence, she was infinitely glad that their respective bedrooms were at the opposite corners of the house.

"I think that hemlock could do with some moonlight, Mama," Morticia announced from her position on the conservatory floor with a faint frown as she repotted the plant into a bigger pot. Her mother-in-law peered over her arm and grunted with approval before gently touching the little white flowers.

"Hmmm, you might be right," she agreed before giving the plant a closer look."They're really not at their best this year," she complained.

"It's been an awfully dry summer."

"Very true, they grow best in damp, but with that blasted sun even our swamp started to look like a damn Miami Beach," she complained eliciting a soft laugh from her daughter-in-law."Well, on a dark side, my deadly nightshade is doing marvellously, just look at those berries."

There was a sudden commotion and they both turned as the door to the conservatory opened sharply and Gomez stepped in grinning widely at the sight of his darling wife.

"Querida!" he exclaimed before taking her in his arms and placing a firm kiss on her lips.

"Gomez, darling, I will get you all dirty, I'm covered with soil," Morticia protested half-heartedly, wholly enjoying her husband's affection.

"Ah, nothing can keep me away," he whispered passionately against her lips."Three hours away from you has turned me into a raving maniac," he added before sliding his arm under her knees and lifting her up bridal style eliciting a soft laugh out of his wife as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well, rave later, dear," his mother interjected impassionately, slowly removing her garden gloves, one finger at a time and dumping then on the small iron table."Since Lurch has taken your father to his business meeting, I need you to take me to the market."

Gomez tilted his head back and groaned dramatically at her words.

"Now?"

"Yes, dear, now," Eudora insisted placing her hands on her hips in an expectant pose as if daring him to challenge her.

Gomez looked in desperation at his wife to assist him, but Morticia only shrugged helplessly, before saying to him placatingly: "Darling, market now, us later."

He sighed petulantly and reluctantly put her back on her feet. Morticia smiled at him and placed a comforting kiss on his cheek, eliciting a low growl out of him.

"Would you like to come with us, my dear?" Eudora asked."There is a coven of witches from Romania trading for today only and they have the rarest ingredients imaginable."

Morticia smiled at her mother-in-law's enthusiasm, but one look at her state told her that she would need to change first, not to mention the roses were really in a desperate need of decapitation. Decision made, she turned to Eudora with a gentle smile and said: "No, thank you, mama, I really want to finish my work here."

Her mother-in-law nodded understandingly and gave her a grateful smile:"You are such a darling, Morticia," she praised before turning to her son. "I shall meet you in the hall in ten minutes, Gomez."

She saw his face brighten up at her words and she sighed exasperated narrowing her eyes at him.

"Ten minutes, Gomez, TEN," she said before exiting the conservatory.

She barely closed the glass door when there was a sudden noise of fallen pots, followed by Morticia's unmistakeable giggle and Gomez's low groan.

Eudora rolled her eyes to high heavens before making her way to her room and away from the amorous couple as fast as she could without actually breaking into a run.

* * *

It was merely two hours later than the door to the conservatory opened and Salvador Addams stepped in gently and greeted his daughter-in-law with his usual cheerfulness, the ubiquitous cigar between his teeth.

"Hello, father," she replied with a small smile before decapitating another rosebud.

Salvador looked around the conservatory curiously, noticing the array of rose petals on the floor.

"You've been busy," he commented lightly."It all looks positively dark and gloomy."

"You're too kind," she smiled at him.

"Have you seen Mama?"

"Gomez took her to the market, I reckon they should be back soon."

"Oh, right, I forgot it was today," he said and turned to his daughter-in-law with a hesitant expression on his face."But actually, it's you I wanted to speak to."

Morticia turned towards him and regarded him curiously.

"Oh? Is something bothering you?" she asked in a gentle voice

"No, not bothering as such…"

"But?"

He smiled at her affectionately before continuing.

"I have an important associate of mine in the city," he started in a manner of explanation."We are in process of negotiating a deal to buy a land from him - a beautiful place in Peru with simply magnificent swamp - perfect family holiday spot, but he has two other buyers on the line as well. However, he's very fond of Gomez and really wants to meet my new daughter-in-law, so I was hoping that with our powers combined we could strike a deal tonight. What do you say, yay or nay?"

Morticia smiled at his eager tone but sighed inwardly. In all honesty, she didn't feel like having guests over at all; she was dirty with soil and quite tired from her gardening work and really looked forward to spending quiet afternoon with her husband, but she didn't want to disappoint her father-in-law either, who was looking at her with the expression that practically begged her to agree.

"What did Gomez say?" she asked instead and noticed him wince slightly.

"That he's not shooting himself in the feet by bothering you with last-minute business dinners," Salvador replied before adding cheekily."But he didn't say that your dear old father-in-law cannot bother you with last-minute business dinners."

Morticia smirked before decapitating another rose blossom.

"Are we having this dinner here?"

Salvador beamed at her, taking her words as an agreement.

"Oh hell no, Eudora would keelhaul me if I had her organize last minute soirée."

* * *

Morticia leaned closer to the mirror and pulled gently at her lower eyelid before drawing a black line with a kohl pencil. Behind her, Gomez was finishing straightening his tie moodily.

He was obviously less than thrilled at the prospect of a God knows how long dinner with a business associate instead of a romantic night with his beautiful wife and was very explicit in his discontent.

"Don't brood, darling, it's just a dinner," his wife placated as she smiled at his reflection in the vanity mirror.

"My dear, you have to learn to say no to that sly, old fox," he replied standing behind her chair."We have more money and land than we know what to do with, he just gets kicks from snatching lucrative business deals from under other people's noses."

"Oh, there's no harm in indulging him every now and then," she commented as she reached for her crimson lipstick.

"I was rather hoping for a nice evening alone with my wife, not a bloody dinner with my father's associate," he said petulantly, reaching for his cigar.

Morticia raised her eyebrow at his tone as she wiped the crimson lipstick from the corner of her lips, before standing up and undoing the sash of her robe in a slow, purposeful manner. The black material slid off her arms landing in a silk pool at her feet, effectively ending the conversation about the upcoming dinner. Morticia smirked inwardly upon hearing Gomez's breath hitch at the sight of her dressed only in the expensive black lace lingerie he ordered for her from Paris.

He dropped his cigar carelessly on the floor and his hands immediately went to her hips and he growled admiringly pushing her gently against the wall next to her dresser.

"Gomez, darling, I promise I shall make it up to you for that bloody dinner later," she said suggestively, her hands pressing lightly against his chest.

He shook his head, not taking his eyes from the enchanting curves of her hips.

"Now," he whispered tracing slow, insisting circles on her hips.

"But," she tried to admonish gently but his lips were already upon hers and she moaned softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and added half-heartedly against his lips: "We'll be late for dinner."

"I would rather feast on you, cara mia," he said hoarsely against her neck before biting into her white skin gently while his hand roamed over her body.

Morticia let out a breathy moan and tilted her head back to give him better access, her body already responding to his hot caresses. She knew there was no hope in hell they would be on time for this dinner as she felt him pull her gently towards the bed not stopping his delicious kisses and caresses even for a second and Morticia could not help but whimper with need, already undoing the belt on his trousers. They fell on the bed and his lips immediately re-captured hers in a hot, ravenous kiss as he slipped his fingers into the lace of her panties and slid them off of her in one swift move. He was about to lie back on top of her but she stopped him, placing two hands firmly on his chest. She smirked, pushing him away and he let out a low growl of frustration at being denied her body, but his annoyance instantly evaporated when she turned and went on her hands and knees.

He almost cried out in delight, quickly removing his trousers and underwear before slipping into her in one smooth motion, making them both moan with pleasure.

"God, you feel so good," he rasped appreciatively.

Morticia bit her lower lip and moaned earnestly as he started to move inside her tortuously slowly while his right hand caressed her wet centre.

"Gomez…" she moaned and moved against him impatiently and heard his low groan, but he grabbed her hips forcefully, stilling her movement.

"Patience, cara mia," he said silkily as he moved deeper inside her eliciting another breathy moan out of her."I want it...slow."

"Too slow."

"Never too slow, cara," he countered, withdrawing from her almost fully before pushing into her firmly, making her whimper with pleasure. He felt her inner muscles contract around him and her lips parted in a sharp moan. He pushed even deeper inside her before his body tensed and jerked against hers as he groaned, pressing his fingers into the soft flesh of her hips as he came.

"Don't stop," she moaned and turned her head to cast a look at him over her shoulder. "Don't stop, I'm going to come again."

He felt the blood flow to his groin at the mere suggestion and he pushed into her again, making fast, forceful motions and soon she was moaning his name in earnest, her inner muscles squeezing him violently and he couldn't help but follow her again over the edge.

"You vixen," he accused as he collapsed on the bed beside to her. "Using sex to get your way."

She laughed gently and lifted herself on her forearms.

"Yes," she agreed."Keep acting like it's annoying you," she teased before placing a loving kiss on his cheek and promptly disappearing into the bathroom.

He laughed heartily after her.

God, he loved being married.

* * *

Morticia slipped her pale, slim hand into her husband's extended hand as he helped her get out of the green Packard.

She took into a rich exterior of the restaurant building and sighed inwardly, resigning herself to an evening of sophisticated food she had no liking of at all. But then, it was a near impossible task to find an establishment that would serve her favourite fried bat wings or a braised eye of newt.

"You look breathtaking," her husband whispered appreciatively behind her into her hair before placing a soft kiss to her temple and she smiled at him lovingly.

"Thank you, darling," she caressed his cheek gently with her fingers and smirked when his lips travelled unwittingly to her exposed shoulder. He certainly seemed to be in a much better mood, back to his usual jovial self.

"Gomez, I beg you, control yourself in there," his mother whined.

Morticia could not help but grin at her husband's outraged huff.

"What kind of animal do you take me for, mama?"

"I shall not even dignify this with a reply," she said as she linked her arm through her husband's and they both made their way into the restaurant. "I don't want to see you mauling her at any time during this dinner, that's all I'm saying."

"Like..at all?" He asked incredulously looking in turns to Morticia and back to his mother."Surely, you're jesting."

"I dare you to try me," his mother glared at him pointedly and then turned to her husband, who was watching the exchange with an amused expression, and added softly:"Let's go, darling."

Morticia glanced at her husband who was standing next to her, frozen like a statue, his mouth agape watching his parents' retreating forms.

"Can you believe her?" He finally said, shaking his head in disbelief as he turned to his wife, taking in her long, tight, black dress with a bardot neckline and the most enticing slide split and he swallowed audibly. "How can she expect me not to maul you when you look like that?" He added, pointing in her general direction with a circular movement of his hand, biting his lips.

"Like what, mon cher?"She asked teasingly and glide closer to him in that feline manner of hers and he couldn't help but groan. His arm already encircling her tiny waist, while his other hand slid to the back of her neck as he pulled her closer for an ardent kiss.

"Like a sin," he whispered against her lips and was about to kiss her again when his mother materialized out of nowhere next to him and whacked him in the head with her purse with all her might.

"Ouch, mama, what the hell was that for?" he asked rubbing the back of his head vigorously.

"For mauling her," she quipped and turned on her heel, gracefully making her way back to the restaurant.

"We're not in the restaurant yet" he bellowed catching up with her with his entirely too amused wife at his arm.

"Gomez, I'm warning you."

* * *

Morticia breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out that they will be dining in a sushi restaurant. Raw fish was more than acceptable. She was also pleasantly surprised at the decor, it was certainly luxurious, modern yet sophisticated, subdued light, linear bamboo and cypress wood gave the feel of a futuristic forest with an imposing cherry blossom tree in the middle of the room.

Salvador's business associate sent a message with apologies that due to an urgent family matter he will be half an hour late, which was convenient since, true to Morticia's prediction and Eudora's annoyance, they were also late. The family decided to go ahead and order aperitifs.

"It's a delightfully old house, a little bit further away from Mabel's, but closer to the Institute," Eudora said referring to the house she rented for them in Paris while sipping on her gin and tonic.

"That sounds marvellous, mama," Morticia replied with a grateful smile."The school starts at seven o'clock in the morning. Any time I save for commuting is precious."

"Well then, Gomez will come in handy," Salvador interjected jovially."He's been annoyingly early raiser since forever, never seen him sleep more than six hours."

"Ah, I noticed," she said and smiled at her husband affectionately before adding teasingly."An unfortunate habit."

"Life is too short to waste it on sleep, cara mia," Gomez grinned at her before placing a soft kiss to her hand.

Morticia's mouth opened in a mock outrage.

"I can't even begin to describe how much I disagree with that opinion, darling," she countered.

"Salvador, my dear friend!" came a low, heavily accented voice behind them and they all turned to see a tall, dark-skinned man with silver-grey curly hair, tied into a tight pony-tail that reached almost to his shoulders. He was dressed in an expensive looking dark blue tailored suit. At his arm, a young woman, with a head full of short-black curls, her dark skin glowing in the subdued light of the restaurant. Her green, respectable knee-length, spaghetti strap dress complimenting her dark skin.

They were a few steps away from their table when Gomez saw the woman's eyes widen at the recognition and she clasped her hand over her mouth.

"No way!" she exclaimed in her soft, French-accented English and, to Gomez's surprise, threw her arms around his wife, who in turn gasped in delight. "No way," the woman repeated and turned to her companion with a brilliant smile. "Papa, this is Morticia, my friend from school I was telling you about!"

"Indeed!" Her father exclaimed, letting out a hearty laugh before bending down to kiss Morticia's extended hand.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr Nair," Morticia greeted with a charming smile. "Dalia has spoken often of you."

"Ah, well you were all my daughter spoke of all summer," Mr Nair replied before adding. "I feel like I know you already."

Morticia laughed gently and turned to her husband who was watching the whole exchange with a bemused expression on his face.

"Darling, this is Dalia Nair, my friend from school and my life-saver in Potions," she introduced and watched her husband shake her friend's hand before introducing himself.

"Gomez Addams."

"Yes, I know," Dalia said."We've met before."

"Have we?" Gomez asked in an embarrassed tone when his wife, as well as the rest of the company, looked at him curiously. He could swear he's never seen this woman before in his life, but even he knew this didn't mean a damn thing. It happened to him more on one occasion to introduce himself to a woman and subsequently turn out he actually slept with her only days before. He prayed to whoever was listening, this wasn't one of those moments.

"Oh, you probably don't remember me," she commented and laughed at his confused expression."It was at your uncle's Halloween party. I was five and you and your brother put spiders in all the punch bowls and you made me set out a loose bunch of cockroaches on your aunt's hair ."

"Ah!" Gomez laughed in recognition as well as an undeniable relief."Now I remember you! One of the greatest pranks of my life."

"Truly," his mother affirmed."Since Matilda still holds her grudge about the cockroaches."

"Well, this is a small world, my friends," Dalia's father commented cheerfully seating in the chair next to Salvador, after his daughter sat next to Morticia.

"Indeed, it is," Salvador agreed with an exuberant laugh.

Dalia smiled and turned to Morticia, squeezing her hand affectionately.

"I can't believe you've got married, Tish!"

"Well, it all happened very quickly," she explained. "I've sent you an invitation, I even called but your mama said you were on holidays with your father, I quote, "devil knows where"," she said regretfully.

"Ah qui, we travelled a lot this summer, we had the most magnificent time. We've just returned from Peru - Papa is selling the swamp there," she explained."I'm sorry to have missed your wedding."

"Oh, I so wish you could have been there, it was absolutely amazing, wasn't it, mon cher?" she said and winced the moment the French endearment left her lips. She turned to her mother-in-law with apologetic expression but her husband's lips were already devouring her slim arm."Don't hit him, mama. This one's on me."

Eudora only rolled her eyes before dawning her whole glass of gin and tonic in one gulp.

* * *

It was almost midnight when they left the restaurant, but Dalia insisted that Gomez and Morticia should accompany her to a nightclub to allow her to experience the American nightlife. Something her father was adamant she was not allowed to do on her own, but happily agreed if she was to be accompanied by a respectable, married couple.

Salvador almost snorted at the sheer naivety of his friend but decided not to mention it. His wife, however, had no such objections when she let out a loud, sarcastic laugh, before turning to Raayan with a patronising smile.

"Your naivety is truly charming, but if you think those two are in any way guardians of chastity, you are sadly mistaken," she said boldly pointing at the smiling couple beside him.

However, to her dismay, Rayyan only laughed heartily at her words. Eudora thought he was obviously utterly unaware of her son's reputation, otherwise he wouldn't look so at peace with the prospect of entrusting his daughter to her son, married or not; but then he did not live with them, and with the exception of one incident where Morticia accidentally spoke French, their behaviour tonight was indeed impeccable. She supposed it was hard for him to suspect them of any scandalous behaviour when they were nothing but charming and proper for the most of the evening.

"Oh, haven't we all been once young and wild?" he said wistfully before turning to the three young people."You kids go and have fun!"

Eudora closed her eyes and shook her head in defeat as she watched the trio enter the black limousine, before turning to her husband's associate and adding silkily:

"In any case, I've warned you."

* * *

The club Dalia wanted to go to turned out to be a very exclusive place on the other side of the city. The sidewalk seemed to vibrate with the beats coming from the large building. A long queue of people gathered in front of the entrance, women in extremely revealing dresses, shivering in the cold of the night, standing next to men dressed in suits. All in hope of being admitted to the building.

They have barely made it out of the car when they heard someone exclaim the Addams name in a cheerful manner.

Gomez turned and his face brightened at the sight of the imposing African American security guard at the entrance.

"Joseph, old man!" he said as they approached the man and shook his hand vigorously."I didn't know you left the Bistro."

"I didn't," Joseph laughed motioning the club with the nod of his head."Same owner," he explained, opening the line for them before addressing Morticia in a polite manner."How do you do, Mrs Addams?

Morticia blinked in surprise, entirely sure she has never met the man before.

Joseph laughed heartily at her reaction.

"Oh sorry, gossips travel so fast in this city, everyone knows Mr Addams got married, I forgot we've never actually met," he said with an embarrassed laugh."Joseph Blake, ma'am," he said touching the rim of his black fedora with a respectful bow.

"Morticia Addams," she smiled charmingly shaking his hand gently."Pleased to meet you, Joseph. This is my friend, Dalia," she said motioning to the gorgeous black woman beside her.

"Hello," Dalia said with the smile Morticia saw her execute when she spotted a pray and, by the bewitched look on the man's face, it worked a charm.

Joseph smiled at her and then turned abruptly flicking his fingers and addressed a young man at the door.

"Matt," he said succinctly and the young man nodded opening the door. Joseph turned back to them motioning the entrance with his hand." Have a good time."

Gomez thanked him and shook his hand again, then watched Dalia measure Joseph with her gaze and passed through with a coquettish smile on her face.

"Wow," Joseph whispered not so subtly and whistled appreciatively after her.

Gomez shook his head and let out an exasperated laugh before muttering loud enough for her to hear.

"Witches."

* * *

Gomez Addams appreciated fine things in life. Fine wines, champagnes, company, beautiful art - you name it. Most of all he appreciated his wife's extraordinary beauty and the effortlessly sensual way she carried herself. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that so did the half on the blasted men in the club. Their appreciative, hungry looks that followed Morticia across the dance floor annoyed the hell out of him, even though he knew there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. His only consolation was that they might stare all they wanted, but this glorious enchantress belonged only to him and was pleased to see that Morticia's eyes were only for him.

Morticia smiled as if guessing his thoughts and her arms slid around his neck, her body moving tantalizingly to the musical beats, her enticing hips swaying against his in such a sensual manner he couldn't help but groan.

"Have mercy," he begged against her ear but his vixen only smiled at him sensually and turned against him without interrupting the enticing sway of her hips against his as they moved to the loud, upbeat rhythms. He sank his teeth into the soft skin of her neck and felt her moan in pleasure, but before he could tease her any further she turned her head towards his ear.

"Darling, I think it's time to take Dalia back to the hotel," she said nodding her head to where her friend was dancing, with a half-full champagne glass in her hand, sandwiched between two blond men, their hands roaming her body in a way that was far from subtle."She's having way too much fun," Morticia knew that her friend was much more sexually adventurous than herself and normally she wouldn't interfere, but one look at Dalia told her she was being way too drunk to make a consent decision about anything.

"Yep,"was all he said and moved swiftly to detach Dalia from the heated embrace. The two men immediately voiced their protests but gave up after one look from Gomez and went to the other side of the dance floor.

"Goooomeeezzz, what the hell?"Dalia slurred unhappily at his intervention.

"Hometime," he said, holding her at her waist so she wouldn't fall as the made their way towards Morticia who already got their coats.

"Tish, tell your husband to unhand me, I'm not drunk," she insisted, barely able to put her words together.

"Of course, you're not," she said softly, helping Dalia into her coat."Let's go."

"But I wanna stay…" she whined and tried to push Gomez away, but immediately swayed on her feet and had to grab his arm for support."You know what, on another note, I might be slightly tipsy."

They both snorted at her assessment and headed towards the exit.

Gomez decided that for someone so slight, Dalia was surprisingly heavy when she poured all of her dead weight on him as they waited for Morticia to open the hotel room. Finally, the door clicked open and they went inside. Gomez picked Dalia up, who fell asleep in the car, then had to be practically dragged into the hotel, fell into a drunken sleep again in the lift leaning on Gomez. He grunted and headed straight away to the bedroom, Morticia right behind him.

Gomez dropped Dalia on the bed and couldn't help but laugh, watching Morticia trying to put her friend in a more comfortable position.

"I love you, Tish,"Dalia mumbled through her drunken haze and embraced Morticia with all her might.

"I love you too... you're strangling me," she said in a strangled voice, trying to disentangle from her friend loving embrace.

Gomez laughed heartily as he watched his wife struggle with her friend's drunken affections."I'll wait outside, give you two your moment" he teased.

"God, you're hilarious," his wife grunted, making him laugh even harder as he made his way out of the bedroom.

Finally succeeding in disengaging herself from Dalia, she removed her friend's high heels and covered her friend with a duvet, before leaving the bedroom and closing the door behind her.

She found her husband seating languidly on the leather sofa in the living room, staring at her intently with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"She's dead to the world," she announced sitting on the arm of the sofa next to him."We can head home."

Gomez shook his head wordlessly and his hand travelled to her exposed thigh.

Morticia followed his caress with a corner of her eye, smiling knowingly and raised her shapely eyebrow at him.

"Here, Gomez?"She asked with a mock disapproval, but moved gracefully to stand before him, her hands already pulling her dress to her hips."In my friend's hotel room?"She continued as she reached the waistband of her lace panties."Where are your manners, Mr Addams?"She teased, stepping out of her panties and threw them at him with a mischievous smile on her face.

"You didn't think you could tease me like that and get away with it, did you, querida?"He said watching her every move transfixed as she slid her hand between her thighs and caressed herself making soft moans of pleasure, then lifted her hand and brought it to his lips. Her fingers glistering with her arousal. He let out a low moan and grabbed her hand putting the slick digits into his mouth, tasting her.

"I almost asked you," she purred against his lips."To drag me into some dark corner of that club and take me right then and there."

He groaned at the back of his throat at the sheer imagery and felt himself tighten even more with his desire for her.

"I was tempted to do just that," he admitted hoarsely and did a quick work on his trousers. He was infinitely glad that she wasted no time, taking him inside her hot centre and they both moaned in unison. He grabbed her hips and helped her move against him. They were both beyond the point of arousal and it didn't take long for her inner muscles to start contracting around him.

She felt his hand move to caress her sensitive centre and she crashed her lips against his in a violent kiss in an attempt to stay quiet as the intense pleasure swept through her. She felt him tense before he ground his hips against her sharply and released a harsh moan as he followed her over the edge.

"This," she said breathlessly, resting her forehead against his."Is definitely bad manners."

* * *

It was close to five o'clock in the morning before the couple finally found themselves in their bedroom. Morticia flopped on the bed and removed her high heels kicking them carelessly out of the way, before wriggling out of her tight dress and underwear.

Gomez growled appreciatively from his place in the bed as he watched her slip into her black, lace nightgown.

"Forget it," she shook her head with an amused laugh before collapsing onto the bed - not even bothering with removing her makeup."We're going to sleep, Gomez."

She felt her husband's strong arms around her and he placed soft kisses along her bare shoulder.

"You sure?"

"Yes," she said insistently but he could sense her smile against the pillow.

"How sure?"He prodded slipping his warm hand to her hip.

She grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips, placing a soft kiss on his knuckles before resting in on her stomach."Goodnight, Gomez."

He laughed and scooped her up closer to himself, whispering soft words of love before placing one last kiss to her white shoulder and within seconds they both drifted off to sleep.

It seemed that they were only asleep for a few minutes before they were suddenly awakened by a slow, persistent knocking to their bedroom door.

"What the hell…"Gomez groaned beside her and opened his eyes with an effort, glancing at the bedside table where the clock was located and groaned again.

"Gomez, darling, I beg you go check the door," came his wife's annoyed voice and she covered her head with a duvet in a vain attempt to block the blasted noise.

Nine o'clock was certainly way too early for them to be awake, but the bloody knocking did not stop, so he grudgingly slipped out of bed and put his velvet robe on before opening the door that revealed a very uncomfortable looking Lurch.

"What is it, Lurch?" he rasped in a voice heavy from sleep.

"Mrs Addams wants you to come downstairs to the parlour," he growled politely."Both of you."

Gomez slid his hand over his face in an annoyed gesture. God, he felt exhausted.

"Now?"

"Yes, Mr Addams," he said and looked at his employer thoughtfully before adding gravely:"It's very important."

Gomez frowned at his butler's tone and looked at him curiously, but ultimately decided he was way too tired to play furtive games with anyone so he just nodded and told Lurch they will be downstairs in twenty minutes before closing the door and returning to the bed to wake up his wife. That, turned out to be a task in itself for she just growled at him and turned the other side.

"Tish, come on wake up," he insisted biting into her shoulder playfully.

"I'm awake," she murmured into the pillow without opening her eyes.

"It only counts when your eyes are open."

She moaned in annoyance but turned on her back and opened her eyes."What is this emergency exactly?"

"I don't know, but mama wouldn't bother us if she didn't have to," he reasoned taking his robe off and dropping it carelessly on the wooden floor."Care to share the shower?"

She nodded, stretching her arms above her head.

"I need to take my makeup off first," she said tiredly, sliding her legs off the bed as she pushed herself off the bed with an effort.

"That's ok, it will give me enough time to shave then," he concluded before disappearing into the bathroom.

Morticia sat down in front of her dressing table and winced as she took one look in the mirror. She thought she looked plain, tired and even more pale than usual...if that was even possible. She sighed in annoyance and picked up the bottle with argan oil, a cotton pad and started to remove her makeup.

She hoped whatever her mother-in-law's emergency was it was really worth waking them up.

* * *

Eudora Addams sighed inwardly, irked by the sound of her husband's fingers drumming rhythmically into the polished, wooden arm of the chair he was currently occupying. She supposed on any other day, in any other situation the drumming would be almost soundless, but today as they both sat in silence in front of a very uncomfortable looking woman who was clutching the heavy folder full of documents to her chest, waiting for Gomez and Morticia to appear, the sound seemed deafening.

The young woman, Danielle, appeared at their doorstep not half an hour ago, introducing herself as a social worker, asking to speak with Gomez and refused to discuss her presence with anyone other than Gomez, so they all sat in a disquiet, uncomfortable silence, not even bothering with the small talk. Lurch dutifully brought them refreshments, but they sat untouched on the coffee table.

Eudora turned her head to the child who was sitting politely next to the social worker, playing nervously with the hem of her pink dress. She smiled, but the little girl did not return the friendly gesture and looked down immediately after their eyes met. She was supposed to be five, but she looked small for her age. She was skinny, her long, blond hair was thin and uneven, her familiar brown eyes travelled curiously around the room.

Suddenly, there was a slight commotion at the door and her son entered the room, holding hands with his wife. Eudora briefly noticed that Morticia's hair was still damp from the shower and she didn't wear any makeup. Her son's pinstripe suit was missing a jacket and the top of his crisp white shirt was unbuttoned. Eudora supposed they must have returned home not long ago because they both looked like they barely got any sleep at all.

"So, mama, what's the emergency?" Gomez asked tiredly, obviously not noticing they had a company.

Before Eudora could say anything, the social worker raised from the sofa and approached Gomez with a confidence she didn't display previously.

"Mr Addams, my name is Danielle Watson, I work for Child Protection and Permanency - a Children Welfare agency" she introduced herself extending her right hand while her left still clutched the heavy folder.

"Gomez Addams," he said slowly shaking her hand, his brows furrowed in confusion and he looked at his mother questionably, but to his surprise her face was expressionless."This is my wife, Mrs Addams," he added, gesturing to Morticia.

"Hello," Morticia greeted politely, shaking the woman's hand, but was suddenly engulfed by an overwhelming sense of dread."Children Welfare?"

"Yes, well why don't we sit down and I'll get straight to the point," the woman smiled politely, taking her seat back at the sofa and then he noticed her.

The little girl.

Gomez felt his gut tighten uncontrollably and suddenly his back prickled with a cold sweat.

"Please, both of you sit down, so we can finally find out what is this all about," Salvador said impatiently when neither Morticia or Gomez made a move to sit.

Gomez glared at him in annoyance at his tone, but Morticia squeezed his hand appeasingly and lead them both to the sofa opposite the woman and the child.

"Mr Addams," the woman started formally, opening the yellow folder."You are named as the next of kin of a minor Ivy Dorothy Addams…" she continued pointing at the little girl on her left.

Gomez snorted in a disbelief: "I think you must have gotten the wrong person, I've never seen this child before in my life."

The woman took out the piece of paper and handed it to him. Gomez took it apprehensively and his face expression took from a frown to recognition and then to an utter disbelief.

"But that's impossible. That's...," he muttered shaking his head in denial."There must be a mistake."

"The birth certificate clearly states you, Mr Gomez Addams, and Miss Rebecca Anne Howard as the parents of a minor Ivy Dorothy Addams, there is no mistake here, Mr Addams," Danielle explained calmly.

Gomez clutched the document in his hands that were suddenly prickling with apprehension. He felt a faint sweat building at the back of his neck and couldn't decide if the room was suddenly too hot or eerily cold. This must be a mistake, this couldn't be happening.

"Dear God, this cannot be," he muttered clenching the birth certificate as he covered his face with his hand and then stood up so abruptly that, next to him, Morticia flinched, startled by the sudden movement.

"I understand that... you were not aware of the child's existence…" the social worker commented tentatively.

"No," he snapped coldly, turning to the woman ."I was certainly not bloody aware!"

His raised voice seemed to startle the girl and she looked at him from behind her lashes with a frown.

Morticia inhaled sharply as she looked at the same, dark half-lidded eyes she fell in love with when she first saw her husband at the funeral service of Balthazar Addams mere weeks ago. There was no doubt, in her mind, whom this child belonged to.

"Gomez," she said softly and he turned to her with a bewildered expression, as if just noticing her, and the look of total helplessness on his face almost broke her heart."Ms Watson's just doing her job, darling."

Her husband looked back at the social worker and took a deep breath in a fruitless attempt to calm down.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"I understand this must be a shock…"Danielle said slowly and faltering briefly when she was interrupted by Gomez's harsh laugh. She turned her gaze to young Mrs Addams who, despite her unusually pale and rather spooky appearance, at this very moment looked certainly more approachable than her husband, and handed her a thin, grey folder. Morticia took it gracefully and skimmed through the tiny writings."Miss Howard and her current partner were arrested two weeks ago and charged with a possession of illegal substances. Miss Howard has been deemed unsuitable to look after her daughter by the court and forcibly admitted to a rehabilitation centre for people addicted to substance abuse. Her parental rights have been temporarily revoked until the court decides when and if she's fit to care for her daughter again," she further explained.

Gomez turned to her sharply, his eyes widening in shock. He took a deep breath desperately trying to subdue the overwhelming sense of nausea that suddenly engulfed him.

"So what happens to her until then?" he asked without looking at the little girl.

"This is why we're here. Since you are named as the father, you are now de facto her primary caregiver," Danielle explained carefully."You may, of course, choose to give up your parental responsibility. In which case we'll start the process of finding her a foster family as soon as possible," she concluded looking at Gomez pointedly." Miss Howard was very adamant we should not contact you and we have, per her wishes, contacted her parents in England first but…" she hesitated, looking briefly at the little girl before adding diplomatically."They chose not to get involved."

Gomez blinked as if startled at her words. Then he realized how she must have judged his behaviour and felt sick to his stomach that he might have projected a wish to abandon his child. He was afraid that perhaps for a fraction of a second he was tempted to do just that. He must have stayed silent for a while because next thing he was aware of was his wife's gentle voice behind him.

"Of course the child shall stay with us,"Morticia's calm voice broke the heavy silence and for the first time the little girl lifted her head to look at her curiously."She's my husband's daughter, her place is with her family and I don't appreciate you suggesting my husband would wish otherwise," she added frostily at Danielle, without looking at Gomez.

"Of course, Mrs Addams, I apologize," Danielle said appeasingly."I just wanted Mr Addams to be aware of all the options available."

"That's unnecessary," Eudora interjected, gazing softly at Morticia."As my daughter-in-law said, the girl shall stay with us."

"Very well,"Danielle smiled politely and removed a bunch of papers before addressing Gomez directly."I will need you to read and sign those before I can leave Ivy in your care."

Gomez cleared his throat, his mouth felt dry like a sandpaper.

"Of course," Gomez agreed."Why don't we move to the library?"He added and pointed in the direction of the door.

Danielle nodded and Gomez watched her turn to the child beside her and address her in a soft and yet firm tone.

"Ivy, remember what we talked about?"She asked and waited until the girl nodded faintly."Then I trust there will be no more of those shenanigans you graced us with at the children's home, correct?"

The girl nodded again.

"I will now go speak to your father," Danielle explained."But I will come back and see you before I leave, ok?

Another nod.

Gomez turned to Morticia and nodded at her in a silent plea to join them.

Morticia hesitated for a fraction of a second before getting up gracefully from the sofa and slipped her hand into his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

* * *

Ivy Addams watched her social worker leave the room with her father and Mrs Addams and felt her eyes prickle with tears. She didn't like the children's home but she didn't want to stay here either. Even though this house seemed much nicer and cosier than the children's home and she even saw two big spiders building a really nice spider web in the hall.

Still, she didn't know any of those people and her father wasn't nice at all, he seemed scary and talked in an angry voice just like her mother did when Ivy was in trouble, which was actually very often. Ivy didn't understand why he seemed angry with her when she didn't even do anything...yet. She was polite and respectful just as Miss Watson told her to be but Ivy could feel that her father was not pleased with her being here.

"Ivy."

A deep voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned in its direction. It was the tall man with a beard and a cigar. He also talked in an angry voice just like her father, but now his voice was soft and gentle. Ivy liked it better that way. His face seemed kinder now and he was smiling at her, but she didn't smile back.

"Do you remember who am I?" the man asked and Ivy felt her cheeks colour with embarrassment. She did not.

She shook her head and looked down at the entwined fingers, but the man only laughed gently. When she lifted her head again he was kneeling in front of her.

"My name is Salvador Arias Horacio Alejandro Addams," he continued."I'm Gomez's father."

Ivy's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's a lot of names," she said quietly, in an adorable, little voice, before she could stop herself, but to her relief, he laughed again.

"It is indeed," he agreed."But I don't use all of them all the time."

"Which name do you use?"She asked curiously.

"Salvador, mostly."

"Is it because it's your favourite?"

Another laugh. This time from both adults. Ivy felt herself relax if only a little.

"Not really, but that's what my mother called me," he admitted."I always liked Horacio best, it was my grandfather's name."

"Oh, then what should I call you by?"

Salvador exchanged a brief look with his wife before addressing Ivy again.

"You may call me a grandfather, that's who I am to you after all," he said with a smile.

"You are?"Ivy asked in surprise."I never had a grandfather before," she admitted shyly before adding with confidence."But I know lots of kids at school who have."

"Well, now you have one too," he added cheerfully."Hope I'll live up to your expectations."

"But... I don't think I have any expecshyns," she said slowly and felt suddenly sad. He was so kind to her, she didn't want to disappoint him, but to her relief, both adults laughed again.

"All the better then," the woman said and took a seat next to Ivy, the many bracelets on her wrists jingled at the movement. Ivy thought she looked like a witch from the book of those dumb fairy tales her mother insisted on reading to her every night. Except, she wasn't ugly, like a true witch should, Ivy thought disappointingly, so she probably wasn't one."I'm mama Addams, I'm your father's mother," the mama-Addams-almost - witch said."But you can call me grandmama," she said and was briefly startled when the little girl inhaled sharply and covered her mouth with her tiny hands."What is it, dear?"

"I have a grandfather and a grandmother?"She asked incredulously, her words muffled by her hands.

"It certainly seems that way," Eudora confirmed thoughtfully exchanging a fleeting look with her husband. She then turned back to Ivy with a brilliant smile on her face. Ivy couldn't help but smile back."Would you like us to show you the rest of the house? You can choose which room you want to be yours and we'll ask Lurch to prepare it for you."

Ivy nodded eagerly.

"This house is spooky," she said before adding in a conspirational whisper."It looks haunted."

Eudora smiled at her brilliantly.

"Why, thank you!"

Ivy smiled back and watched her grandfather stand up straight and offer her his hand. With her father absent, the house and the people in it didn't seem so scary anymore. She hesitated only for a second before jumping off the sofa and slipping her small hand into his.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 

Morticia found her pounding headache only increased in its intensity the longer they were sitting in the company of the social worker as the full scale of the situation descended upon her like a ton of bricks.

A child.

Her husband had a child by another woman.

A child he knew nothing about until two hours ago. A result of a fling, a one night stand, with a woman Gomez's met while attending a university in England and only vaguely remembered, or so he said - Rebecca Howard.

Morticia bit her lower lip, unable to shake off the anger and disappointment that suddenly engulfed her. They have barely met, barely had the time to get to know each other, to be together and were now facing a prospect of raising a child together.

She felt a sudden wave of nausea as her gut tightened at the prospect. She felt confused, overwhelmed and completely unsure how to navigate this situation.

Her husband's reaction was also unsettling. As utterly unexpected as this situation was, it bothered her that it was necessary for her and her mother-in-law to intervene and say that Ivy will stay with them, that Gomez barely looked at the little girl at all. It bothered her more than she was ready to admit; as apprehensive as she was at the prospect of adding a child to this brand new relationship was, she didn't want to even consider the possibility that Gomez would wish to renounce his responsibility to that girl.

However, even now, as he sat behind his father's mahogany desk, he was mostly silent, his eyebrows drawn, leaving the burden of the conversation to Morticia, listening and nodding, dutifully signing where appropriate.

Brooding. And that also made Morticia angry.

In the end, it was also Morticia who had to walk the social worker to the gate, leaving her brooding husband in the library.

"That's all we can do for now," the social worker said with the air of finality."I will be back tomorrow to check on Ivy's adjustment, but please do not hesitate to call me if you encounter any…ehmmm difficulties," she added pointedly and Morticia frowned, confused at her tone.

"Difficulties?"

"Yes, you see, Ivy…" she said slowly but seem to hesitate, looking for the right words. "She's a sweet child, but a bit... unusual, shall we say."

"In what way?"Morticia asked, the girl certainly didn't seem to her different than any other children she met.

Danielle stayed silent pondering how to describe Ivy without making her look weird.

"You see, her idea of what's fun is entirely different to the rest of society," she finally said.

"Meaning?"Morticia prodded, getting progressively irritated. It has already been a long night and particularly difficult morning. She was entirely way too tired to play guessing games with the social worker.

"She… ok look, I'll just say it...you may find her weird," she said, somewhat embarrassed before explaining."She likes to throw knives, she played with the garden snake like it was a little kitten and took several spiders as pets. She was absolutely bewildered when it was explained to her that children do not play with knives and spiders and snakes are not pets. She was baffled when the other children offered her to play with a puppy. She brought them her "pet" spiders instead."

Morticia looked at her with a bewildered expression and Danielle nodded vigorously.

"Dear me, why would anyone want to play with a puppy?"

Danielle blinked and if unsure she heard her correctly. Then, as if for the first time, noticed her surroundings. Her eyes widened and she slowly pointed to the far side of the estate.

"Is that...is that a graveyard?"

"Oh yes!"Morticia nodded enthusiastically."We also have a swamp and a dungeon, would you like to see it?"

Danielle laughed at what she thought was a joke, but then the look on Morticia's face told her that she was certainly not joking.

She smiled uneasily and gave a strangled reply: "Perhaps some other time."

* * *

Gomez stood against the tall window, watching his wife see the social worker out to the gate. Her body language was undeniably stiff; he could tell she was irritated with him, hell...he was irritated with himself.

His mind went back to the woman - Rebecca - an intelligent, kind but otherwise unremarkable-looking third year Fine Art student at Oxford.

They've met at the park, near his apartment, he remembered it was a late November and he had a habit at the time of taking a ridiculously early walks in the park before the gates were even opened and he had to climb over the fence.

He remembered when he spotted her, during particularly cold and drizzly afternoon, sitting on a plastic shopping bag on the grass, her dark, blond hair damp from the rain, utterly immersed in her sketching. He startled her when he came up next to her and casually commented on her interesting technique; he said how talented he thought she was and she blushed profoundly, apparently mortified by his attention and he found it quite adorable.

They shared a conversation about modern art and a bottle of wine in a nearby bistro. In all honesty, he wasn't even planning on sleeping with her. He took an instant liking to her - surprisingly and completely unusually for him - in a very platonic kind of way, but it was clear that she certainly was interested in him in a way that was far from platonic. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, so they shared a causal night together and he left early, before she woke up, to avoid any morning-after awkwardness. He didn't want her to think there was anything more to it that there really was.

To him it was a mercy fuck, to put it crudely, he didn't think twice about it and he's never seen her again.

And now this...

He tried and failed to make any sense of this situation. It was one night, for God's sake, one stupid, half-drunken night and now it seemed his whole life was about to be turned upside down because of it.

And yet, the whole drugs thing didn't add up at all. She didn't strike him as a drug type. How is that possible that that skinny, shy, introverted girl got herself involved in such a mess, especially when she had a little child at home?

Although, what the hell did he really know about her? Nothing. They were two strangers who were now irrevocably bound together by a child.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the gentle movement behind him.

"Why didn't she say anything?" he asked without looking at her."I might've been a reckless bastard but I would never abandon a child, Tish."

Any anger she felt towards him instantly evaporated as she took in an utter hopelessness of his demeanour. She has never seen him looking so defeated. He was staring absently through the window, with one hand curled into a tight fist resting on the glass. She made her way slowly towards him and took her place next to him, taking his hand into hers.

"I know, darling," she said softly for the lack of anything better to say because they both knew she didn't know him well enough to make such assessments. Her free hand travelled to his face and turned it gently towards her. His expression was an array of emotions: anger, guilt, powerlessness as he looked at her hopelessly; the mere visual effect of such a rapid cycle of painful emotions was startling. She felt his arms encircle her in a tentative embrace as if he was no longer sure of his position with her.

"I'm sorry, querida," he whispered breathlessly, looking into her eyes, his voice laced with guilt."This isn't how it's supposed to be."

She realized then that he was searching for a confirmation that this situation didn't change their relationship, that she still loved him and wanted to be with him.

It irritated her how insecure he still was about her when it didn't even cross her mind to abandon him; not now, not ever and she refused to indulge him in his insecurities. She tilted her head and regarded him curiously.

"Are you feeling sorry for yourself, darling?"

He gave out a mirthless laugh before replying: "I seem to have an annoying habit of doing so."

"Have I given you any reason to doubt me?"

"No," he whispered, shaking his head.

"Then why are you doubting me now?"

"I'm not," he whispered unconvincingly.

"You are," she insisted but her voice was tender when she regarded him lovingly."Gomez," she said."I'm not crazy about this situation, but we will deal with it...together. Do you really feel so unsure about my love for you to doubt me like that?"

"Of course not," he replied immediately, but with an undeniable relief in his voice."But this is not what you signed up for marrying me."

"I signed up to spend my whole life with you. I have never expected our life together to be all lovely thorns and singing vultures," she countered softly, her hands caressing the sides of his jaw as she rested her forehead against his."I love you. I will always stand by you no matter what, don't ever doubt that" she added and realized, with a sudden certainty, how much she meant it. She meant it with all her heart, with every particle of her being because she knew she could never live without him and the realization of that was as scary as it was comforting.

"Never, cara mia, I promise," he said and captured her lips in a firm kiss before wrapping her in a tight embrace and whispering into her neck: "God Tish, what a mess."

She nodded silently before looking into his eyes and gave him a small smile.

"It is," she confirmed."But we don't have the luxury to indulge in a self-pity. Your daughter has been taken away from her mother and placed with the people she's never seen before in her life. She's probably scared out of her mind," she said insistently.

"I know nothing about being a father," he whispered in defeat.

"You'll have to learn on the way," she said simply."In the end, children are a blessing," she continued with a small smile, her soft hand caressing his cheek."Even if sometimes it's a blessing in disguise."

* * *

To claim that his first day as a father didn't go spectacularly well would be a vast understatement.

Catastrophic and utter failure would be quite accurate, in Gomez's opinion.

Surprisingly, once the social worker was out of sight, there was little left of the demure little girl he first saw in the parlour this morning. She was still a perfectly sweet and polite with everyone, but it was quite clear that she was, as Eudora put it, the same jolly whirlwind of energy as her father. She was excited by the vast space to run around in the mansion, she happily went for a tour of the swamp with his father, she was eager to help his mother and Lurch prepare her room, but the moment Gomez entered the room it was like someone had blown off the candle - Ivy's excitement subdued, she immediately became quiet and withdrawn. She hasn't spoken a word to him all day, she barely looked at him when he tried to speak to her and only nodded faintly when appropriate.

Even more surprisingly, Ivy seemed to like Morticia the most, despite the fact that there was no blood relation between them...or perhaps, he thought, precisely because of that. His wife also seemed to be quite taken by the girl, particularly when Ivy expressed an unbridled awe at the sight of Morticia's African Strangler - a sure way of winning his wife's affections.

Still, despite a hellish day - and not in a good way- he had to smile at the memory of the two of them in a conservatory, as he watched them quietly from afar after Morticia asked Ivy if she'd like to see her African Strangler.

_"Her name is Cleopatra," his wife introduced proudly."I had her since she was just a wee seedling. Cleo, darling, say hello to Ivy."_

_He smiled when Ivy squealed upon feeling the plant wrap it's long stems around her little neck._

_"Hello, Cleopatra," Ivy greeted patting the leaves gently, before turning to Morticia with a wide grin on her face."I think she likes me, Mrs Addams."_

_"Of course she does, "Morticia smiled the child and picked up a bowl of freshly cooked hamburger."Would you like to help me feed her?"_

_Ivy's opened her mouth and her eyes widened in surprise."With a hamburger?!"She exclaimed bewildered._

_"Of course, that's her favourite food," Morticia confirmed as if a hamburger-eating plant was the most common thing in the world."Come, stand on top of the chair."_

_Ivy did as she was told and Morticia handed her a fork with a large piece of meat on it._

_"Now, you must be careful," she instructed."Cleo likes to snatch her food, I'm afraid her table manners are quite atrocious."_

_Ivy laughed at her comment and lifted the fork towards the carnivorous plant cautiously: "Here you go Cleopatra," she said politely offering Cleopatra her dinner. The plant initially didn't make a move before lunging forward and snatching the meat off the fork before gulping it all up loudly, making Ivy jump in freight._

_Morticia laughed at her reaction and the little girl turned to her in awe. "Mrs Addams, this is the coolest plant in the whole world."_

"- Gomez," his wife's gentle voice interrupted his thoughts."I can hear you thinking, my love," she said turning her head towards him. After less than a spectacular day, she proposed they share a hot, bubble bath together in hopes that it would help her husband relax, if only fractionally. Alas, unsurprisingly, Gomez seemed to be unable to switch off even for a minute, constantly replaying today's events in his head.

"Why does she hate me?" he asked her miserably for what seemed to be like the thirtieth time this hour. He supposed it's some kind of life paradox that all children always adored him, yet his own daughter despised him.

Morticia winced at his words, she wished to find some words of comfort that would not sound like a forced plateau, but Ivy's behaviour today really spoke for itself - whereas she seemed perfectly happy with her grandparents or Morticia, or even Lurch and Thing for that matter, she seemed to bear quite a formidable contempt towards her father.

"Give her some time, darling," she said when nothing better came to her mind."She's just a little girl, she'll come around," she added and placed a comforting kiss on his knuckles.

"That's not good enough, Tish," he countered."I want...I don't know...I need to speak to her mother."

"You want to go to California?"

He nodded. "Not right away, but I need to see her, talk to her, the things that the social worker said about her…" he faltered and shook his head in disbelief."How could she have got involved with drugs? Especially, when she had a baby to look after? Oh Tish, when I think of what kind of life that child must have had, all that time while I was concerning myself with my own pleasures."

Morticia turned towards him, straddling his thighs and captured his face between her hands."Don't do this to yourself," she pleaded gently."You didn't even know of her existence until twelve hours ago."

"But I should have," he whispered insistently."And she didn't tell me, because she thought I was an unreliable cad who wouldn't give a damn about his bastard child with a woman he slept with once," he added spitefully.

She looked at him, unsure what to say to that, was there anything she could say to elevate his guilt over this situation?

"It's going to be ok," she whispered and captured his lips in a loving kiss."I love you so much, it breaks my heart to see you like that. How can I help you?"

He smiled at her words: "Oh, Tish, you're helping more than you realize, querida," he assured, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and pulled her closer against his body.

* * *

Ivy Addams couldn't sleep.

The house was eerily quiet and frighteningly unfamiliar.

She missed her mum, she missed her old bedroom with its pink walls, decorated with various images of black spiders that her mother helped her to paint even though Ivy knew she hated spiders.

The wind outside howled suddenly and a stray twig hit her bedroom window. She turned her head sharply towards the noise. She actually liked this old house, with it spookiness and creaky floors. She was sure her mum would not like it. Her mum didn't like things being spooky or weird. Except Ivy, her mum loved her, even though she often told her to stop being weird.

Nobody here thought she was weird, though. Not even when she wanted to play with spiders. Her grandmother didn't scold her for playing with kitchen knives, she even suggested she should choose some bigger ones but she felt too shy and said no thank you.

She hasn't even been told off for playing with food at dinner time, she was actually praised for playing with it so well. It was all confusing, but she had to admit it was so much better here than in the children's home.

Still, it wasn't her home and her mum was very far, far away. She wasn't surprised now that her mum never spoke of her father. She probably didn't like him much either, because he was mean and he didn't care for them. That's why she chose to live so far away from him.

She took a deep breath and felt her eyes well up with tears. She wiped them away furiously because she promised her mum she'd be brave and brave people did not cry, but the stupid tears just wouldn't stop falling.

* * *

The bedroom was covered in darkness, but Thing knew his way around the house by heart...that is, he would have known it by heart if he had one.

He approached the bed silently where the two figures were nestled together in a close embrace, both in a deep slumber. He hesitated for a second before approaching his mistress and tapping gently on her shoulder. To his dismay, she didn't even stir, so he decided to tap a little harder. Nothing.

Ugh, it was in times like these he wished he could speak in an audible manner.

Resigned, he jumped on her head and pulled at her long, black tresses and she woke up instantly.

Unfortunately for him, he startled her out of her sleep and she swatted him off her head with a swift move of her hand and he ended up splattered on the hard, wooden floor.

"Thing," Morticia whispered tiredly in a barely audible voice, obviously careful not to wake her husband, and rubbed her eyes."What on earth are you doing?"

The decapitated hand jumped back on its fingers and motioned for her to follow him out of the bedroom.

"Do you realize what time it is?"His mistress asked him in a soft but undeniably annoyed tone as they both made their way along the quiet hall."Why don't you just tell me what is it about? I'm really in no mood for games, Thing," she sighed but suddenly frowned at him in confusion as they stopped at the door to the bedroom currently occupied by Ivy. Morticia looked at Thing curiously as he motioned for her to go inside.

Morticia hesitated for a split second but pressed the handle gently and slowly pushed the door open in an attempt to prevent them from creaking too loudly. However, the was no need for her to be cautious, for the little girl wasn't sleeping at all.

Apparently, her brown, half-lidded eyes weren't the only thing she inherited from her father. She too seemed to hide her heartache under the disguise of a careless attitude and jolly exterior. Morticia had no doubt that this whole situation was nothing but a heartache for the little girl, with her mother halfway across the country and unable to see her, let alone look after her. Now, though, after two weeks of shuffling between foster families and children's homes, she ended up in a care of her father - a man she's never seen before in her life and who wasn't even aware of her existence until yesterday's morning.

Morticia sighed tiredly and approached the bed silently where Ivy was sobbing into her pillow so ardently she didn't seem to notice her at all. Morticia faltered for a moment before placing her hand gently on Ivy's shaking back, careful not to startle the child, but Ivy didn't even lift her head off the pillow.

"Go away, Thing," she sobbed quietly

Morticia smiled tenderly. Apparently, Thing had already attempted to comfort the little girl, but to no avail, before deciding to wake Morticia up.

"Ivy," she said softly and immediately felt the girl stiffen. She noticed her wiping her tears furiously before turning slowly towards her. "What's wrong?"She asked for a lack of better question and almost winced at how ridiculous it sounded. She could think of a plethora of reasons for her tears.

Ivy sat down on her bed and looked down, embarrassed that her stupid crying seemed to have awakened Mrs Addams.

"Nothing," Ivy whispered, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her pyjama top.

"You can't sleep?"Mrs Addams asked softly and Ivy shook her head silently, feeling the tears prickling at her eyes again.

Morticia's pale face creased in a gentle frown. She liked children, but she didn't really have a chance to interact with them all that often so she was unsure how to behave and what was appropriate. This was way beyond her comfort zone. She watched silently as the little girl sat dejectedly, in her fainted pink pyjama with a picture of a purple, little pony on the front before her arms started to shake again and the tears started to roll off her face, landing on the grey blanket.

She didn't expect the sudden wave of tenderness that overtook her at this pitiful sight and before she realized she leaned forwards and her arms enveloped the little girl in a gentle hug. Gods, she was so tiny. To her utter surprise, Ivy wrapped her skinny arms around her neck and started to cry in her earnest.

"It's ok, darling," she whispered softly."Don't cry."

It has taken some time but eventually, Ivy's cries subdued and she extracted her arms from around Morticia's neck.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, Mrs Addams," she said quietly.

"Don't worry about it, "Morticia smiled at her tenderly."You can always come and wake me up if you need me, ok?"She added and saw the girl nod faintly."Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep."

Ivy seemed to hesitate for a split second before nodding her head again.

"Come on," Morticia smiled tiredly, before climbing next to her on the bed and watched, with utter amazement as the little girl closed her eyes, her skinny arm sneaking to Morticia's waist as she snuggled against her and quicker, than Morticia thought was possible, drifted off to sleep.

She faltered momentarily at her gesture before resting her hand gently on Ivy's back, feeling it expand and contract at the girl's soft breathing. She felt...weird. She resisted an almost overwhelming urge to place a kiss on the top of the girl's blond hair and closed her tired eyes. She thought, with a sort of mortified amusement, that if Ophelia saw her right now, she would probably faint. She could hardly comprehend the situation herself.

It was her last thought until the morning.

* * *

The sound of trains was deafening.

Three days after Ivy arrived at the Addams household, her contempt towards Gomez only seemed to increase. The social worker assured them that it was perfectly normal for the child to be distrustful of the new surroundings and assessed Ivy as settling in very well, despite the fact that she was treating her father like an invisible man.

After a rather tense breakfast, during which Ivy chatted happily with everyone except Gomez, he silently retreated to, what Eudora called 'that Blasted Train Room'.

Initially, Morticia thought he needed some space to be alone and think things through so she didn't interfere. Only after her husband has remained in there for two straight hours she began to worry. Then when the two hours turned into three and then four did she decide to enter the room, but to her surprise found the door locked from the inside. She knocked silently. Nothing. She knocked louder, but the angry noise of running trains seemed to penetrate every corner of the mansion, swallowing everything else. After several attempts at persuading her husband to let her in, she finally gave up and retreated to the sanctuary of the kitchen where at least the noise was considerably reduced.

"He's been in that room for hours, mama," she said in a concerned voice before pressing her fingertips to her temples in an attempt to elevate a headache and collect her thoughts."He won't let me in."

"At least he's not using the diesel, "Eudora sighed exasperatedly, before sitting down in a chair opposite and putting a steaming cup of coffee in front of her daughter-in-law, who accepted the beverage gratefully, nodding in thanks."When Fester disappeared," she said slowly, looking into the steamy liquid."He locked himself in there for two weeks, barely eating anything, barely talking to anyone...just playing with his damn trains. It drove me nuts. It's what he does when he feels overwhelmed, ever since he was a little boy."

Morticia listened to her words attentively and frowned. She already noticed that Gomez didn't do very well when faced with difficult emotions, but this was downright ridiculous.

"I don't know if you noticed," Eudora continued. "But my son has a particularly worrying tendency to drown himself in his miseries. He allowed guilt over his brother's disappearance to eat at him for years, punishing himself and by extension everyone around him...until he met you," she explained.

"You never talk about Fester," Morticia noticed, it was something she mentioned to her husband on her honeymoon.

"No, none of them do, not Gomez nor his father," she agreed painfully." Despite their jolly exterior and devil-may-care attitude, they have immense trouble coping when life gets difficult. They never discussed what happened. They both turn into distractions. Gomez fell into a ferocious whirlwind of women, parties and drinking and Salvador... Salvador, on the other hand, poured his energy into business. Anything that puts their mind from the issue at hand," she admitted regretfully."And then Vladimir convinced Gomez to go to England with him and enrol at Oxford. And for a few years, Gomez focused on that and thing got marginally better."

"Vladimir?"Morticia asked in disbelief.

Eudora nodded, "The very same you whacked in the head with a champagne bottle," she said and smiled affectionately when Morticia's cheeks coloured with embarrassment."As he rightfully deserved it."

"You don't think I overreacted?"

"No, my dear, you have not," Eudora countered."Vlad insulted you. I was surprised Gomez let him go off so easily. By all account, he should be a dead man."

"He wanted to," Morticia said. "But I asked him to let it go, Itt helped to convince him."

"Dear cousin Itt, "Eudora said fondly."Always the voice of reason."

"How can I help him?"She asked desperately."Tell me, mama."

Eudora smiled at her regretfully. "I wish I could answer that," she whispered."You see Gomez is very much like his father, they are both very goal driven people."

"Nothing wrong with that."

"No, "Eudora agreed."At least in theory."

Morticia frowned, but said nothing, waiting for her mother-in-law to continue.

"Yes, goals are important," she started to explain."But a mere fact of achieving them doesn't make one happy...not in the long term at least. You can see my husband, how passionate he is about his business, how driven?"She asked and watched Morticia nod at her."Since Fester disappeared, that's his way of dealing with everything, to focus all the energy on finding new deals, being better than anyone else, so he doesn't have time to sit down and think. Gomez is the same. As long as they have a tangible goal to focus on they manage, but that doesn't last because once they achieve it they become restless. Gomez pours himself into every new plan, every new hobby with zealotry until he masters it, so he doesn't have to face the reality around him."

"He can't hide from this, mama, he has a daughter - "

As if on a cue, there was a sudden commotion on the stairs and soon enough, Ivy's frantic footsteps could be heard as she descended the stairs.

"Grandmama, look, look!" The little girl exclaimed breathlessly presenting Eudora with a jar where a particularly sizeable spider that was desperately looking for a way out.

"Oh, look at that, what an impressive catch!"Eudora praised.

"Can I keep it?"She asked eagerly.

"Of course you can, every girl should have a pet spider," she agreed before turning to Morticia."Isn't that right, Morticia?"

"It certainly is," she smiled warmly at the little girl.

"Do you have a pet spider?"Ivy asked Morticia hopefully.

"I used to, now I have a Kitty Cat and he's a lot of work."

"Oh, a cat…"Ivy muttered disappointingly before wrinkling her little nose in confusion."But I haven't seen any cat here."

"He's staying at my parent's house, I shall bring him in today," she explained and brushed a stray strand of hair from Ivy's forehead in a gentle gesture.

"Cats are boring…" she said in a petulant voice."My mum had one and it done nothing but sleep all day."Then as if a sudden thought occurred to her she looked at Morticia tentatively."Mrs Addams...when can I go home?"

Morticia and Eudora shared a brief look before the younger woman smiled gently at Ivy. "I don't know, darling," she replied truthfully."We have to wait until your mummy gets better."

"Oh…" she grunted dejectedly."Will that take long?"

Morticia bit her lip thoughtfully."I'm sure your mum misses you very much, but the doctors have to make sure she's well enough to take care of you," she explained diplomatically.

"Okay," Ivy replied sadly.

"Ivy, "Eudora addressed her in a gentle manner and the girl turned to look at her."We are your family as well and we all want you to be happy here."

"Okay," she said dismissively with a shrug. "Hey," she continued in a surprisingly jovial manner."Grandfather is going to take me frog hunting for dinner, you wanna come with us?"She asked hopefully and her attempt at changing the subject worked marvellously because her grandmother nodded and raised from the chair. Ivy turned to Morticia."When you come back from your mum's house can I help you to feed Cleopatra again?"

Morticia smiled at her eagerness.

"Of course you can," she said kindly."Perhaps you can even do it all on your own," she added and laughed gently when Ivy inhaled excitedly and almost jumped at the prospect.

"Thank you, Mrs Addams!"

"You're welcome," she smiled and added."But no need to call me Mrs Addams. You may call me Morticia."

Her words seemed to please the little girl greatly for she beamed at her, before asking tentatively:

"May I call you Tish? I heard my...I mean Mr Addams call you that and I like it better, it's so pretty," she said but then added hastily."I mean, Morticia is pretty as well!"

Morticia laughed heartily as her discomfort.

"Tish is fine," she assured, inwardly pleased that the small reference to her husband. She considered a progress. A tiny one, but progress nevertheless.

The girl smiled back at her and turned to her grandmother, who took her hand and they both made their way upstairs.

Once they were gone, Morticia raised her eyes towards the noise upstairs and her mood dampened once again.

She must find a way to fix this situation, she'd be damned if she let it continue any longer.

* * *

However, it was easier said than done for with her husband locked in the Train Room and Ivy doing her best to avoid the subject of her father, whom she continuously referred as 'Mr Addams', the prospects of remedying the situation was appearing increasingly bleak.

"A child?"

"Yes."

"Gomez has a child?"

Morticia arched her eyebrow and glared at her, obviously getting annoyed with the exchange. She asked Dalia to meet her at her favourite diner she had once discovered as a young girl, a run down place that looked like more like a safety hazard than a place to eat. Obviously, it was an instant love. It only got better when it turned out they served the most deliciously bitter coffee and wonderfully burned food.

Dalia raised her hands in a gesture that indicated surrender. "Yeah, I know, sorry," she winced and looked into her coffee in a silent contemplation before finally describing the situation with a single: "Fuck."

"Well that just about covers it, "Morticia smirked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well, I'm glad you still have your sense of humour," her friend commented.

Morticia shook her head and rested her chin on the pillow of her hand."Dalia, I'm so far away from my comfort zone, I'm practically on the other side of the world," Morticia admitted biting her lips.

"I thought these kinds of things only happened in movies," she mused."How did Gomez take it?" She asked somewhat tentatively and watched her friend wince at the question.

"Oh, you know...quite disastrously," she admitted with a mock nonchalance."The girl seems to hate his guts - colloquially speaking, devil knows why, because she's perfectly happy with everyone else. I think in those three days, she said a total of ten words to Gomez. Most of the time she pretends he doesn't exist."

"Oh, damn...but why?"

"Hell if I know."

"Do you think her mother might have set her up against him?"Dalia asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

Morticia shrugged. She honestly doubted that was the case.

"I don't think so, I don't think she talked to her about him at all."

Dalia nodded and for a few moments, the two women sat in a semi-comfortable silence before Dalia bit her lips thoughtfully.

"Have you told your parents yet?"

Morticia winced at the very thought and shook her head.

"I called them to tell them I'm going to pick Kitty today," she said, before admitting quietly: "I don't really know how to approach the subject."

Dalia smiled furtively and took a long sip of her coffee watching her friend intently "May I offer a suggestion?"

Morticia looked at her curiously and nodded.

"You remember the evening you told them about your engagement?"She asked and watched the corners of Morticia lips turn into a small, amused smile."That's how you tell them."

* * *

And so, she did just that.

Morticia Addams was so utterly convinced that her family's reaction to the news of Gomez's child would be less than enthusiastic, to say the least, that the deadly silence that descended on the parlour did not surprise her one bit. She wasn't even bothered when every single member of her family was looking at her in an utter disbelief, unsure how to comment on the news she just delivered to them.

She was, however, absolutely unprepared when her own mother, after contemplating the news for a few minutes, covered her mouth with her hand and looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Mama…" she started placatingly, her brain desperately scrambling for anything to say that may prevent her mother from going into hysterics.

"Oh dear God, do you know what that means?"Her mother whispered shaking her head in a shocked disbelief.

Of course, she knew.

Apart from the obvious, it would cause quite a bit of scandalous gossips as if their prompt engagement and wedding didn't cause enough, from speculating that Morticia was probably pregnant to guessing games about how long the marriage lasts before they divorce. Now they were adding a bastard child to the mix, for a good measure.

"I. Have. A granddaughter!"Her mother exclaimed as in awe, clasping her hands against her chest.

Wait...what?

Morticia blinked, utterly confused and unsure she heard her correctly. She looked at her sister, then Mabel and finally at her father but they all wore the same expression of bewilderment.

"What?"They all asked in unison, staring at Hester in disbelief.

"My very own granddaughter and what a beautiful name - Ivy!" She said delighted and stood up briskly.

"But…"Morticia wanted to say something, but her mother's reaction was too bizarre for her brain to supply her with anything.

"When can we meet her?" Her mother asked eagerly before adding, without waiting for Morticia's reply."I know! You should all come for lunch on Sunday, yes that would be perfect. Oh just think, a child in the house - it's about time!" She exclaimed before practically flying out of the parlour in excitement leaving them all staring after her in bewilderment.

Finally recovering, Mabel exclaimed what they were all thinking.

"What, in the devil, has just happened?"

* * *

She deliberately delayed going home.

She told herself it wasn't at all because she was running away from the problematic situation but in truth, she dreaded going back. She felt anxious facing her husband's despair when she was unable to help him and constantly felt as if she was walking on a thin ice around him. She was so worried about him it made her almost physically ill. He barely slept, he barely ate and spent his days locked in that bloody train room, drowning in his anguish.

"I've never thought I'd see a day when you'd be stalling on going back to your husband," he father stated calmly, seating next to her on the terrace stairs, taking a slow draw of his cigar.

"I'm not stalling, papa," she countered, resting her head between the palms of her hands, even though it was more than obvious to both of them that she very much was stalling."I just needed some time alone."

Her father nodded understandingly, releasing the fragrant smoke from his mouth.

"You look tired, Tish," he commented gravely.

"I'm ok," she placated with a small smile."I just haven't been sleeping all that well lately," she explained.

"I know it's not an easy situation," Mortimer said carefully."But making yourself ill won't help."

She nodded and told herself it was only because she was so dead tired that she felt so ridiculously close to crying.

"I can't help him, papa," she whispered helplessly."I don't know what to do. It breaks my heart to see him like this."

Mortimer inhaled loudly and looked at his daughter tenderly before pulling her closer to him. He thought she must be feeling extremely vulnerable because she leaned willingly into his embrace and rested her head on his broad shoulder. Her body language radiated with an uncharacteristic for her air of defeat and he despised that. It made him angry at Gomez for putting his little girl in this situation, but he knew that the last thing she wanted to hear was her father berating her husband.

"It'll all pass," he whispered comfortingly."Everything will be fine, but he has to stop running away from the situation because this situation is not going anywhere. He's only making it worse for everybody."

"He tried, papa, but she's treating him like he's invisible," she defended. "Every time I try to talk to her about him she's changing the subject or runs away to play."

"Gee, she's really her father's daughter," he quipped and was relieved when Morticia chuckled gently."You need to make him spend time with her, even if he will just be sitting in the same room. She may be ignoring him now, but she'll come around eventually, you'll see. But she needs to know that he'll be a stable and constant figure in her life no matter what," he added firmly and felt his daughter faint nod.

"You're right," Morticia stated after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Tish," he said worryingly when she leaned closer to him."How are you with all this?"

Morticia smiled gently at his thoughtfulness.

"I don't know," she replied honestly."I haven't had time to really ponder how I feel about it. I'm not sure I want to."

She felt her father inhale deeply, before addressing her hesitantly: "I can't imagine how you must feel. I guess... this is perhaps one of the worst situations a wife can find herself in and it might get worse before it gets better, but…" he faltered as if wondering how to proceed. "Don't give up on him, he'd die without you."

Morticia smiled despite herself and lifted her head from his shoulder, before looking at her father in an amused contemplation.

"I've never thought, I would see a day in which you shall defend Gomez Addams," she stated teasingly and her father snorted dismissively.

"He's a smooth-talking, reckless, over-confident cad," he countered firmly but added in a softer tone."But he loves you more than anyone will ever be able to comprehend...and that's good enough for me."

Morticia looked at him tenderly for a long minute before smiling at him.

"Mabel's right, papa," she said."You're definitely mellowing in your old age."

* * *

Despite Morticia's best attempts to explain to her mother that the relationship between Gomez and Ivy was far from lovely thorns, and perhaps it would be more prudent to wait until Ivy feels more comfortable before introducing her to the rest of the family, her mother immediately dismissed the idea as nonsense. Hester was of an unwavering opinion that a child in Ivy's situation needs all the love and affection she can get and who's better at providing love and affection than a grandmother. Even though, as Ophelia pointed out, she has been a self-proclaimed grandmother for less than a half an hour - there was simply no chances for a reasonable debate with Hester Frump.

And so Morticia had no choice but to capitulate and promise that they would all come to her parents' for lunch on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the next few days have done nothing to ease the situation. Ivy still treated Gomez like a necessary evil, muttering forced hellos, yes' and nos where appropriate.

However, she almost burst with excitement when Morticia brought Kitty Cat home.

Kitty, on the other hand, had apparently decided that Ivy was a cub of some sort for him to look after and followed her wherever she went, sleeping and the foot of her bed and growling at Gomez whenever he was in vicinity, obviously adopting Ivy's attitude towards him and Salvador found it truly hilarious.

Needless to say, Ivy was delighted with the lion.

Gomez however, fell deeper into a despair, it was a long time since he felt so utterly helpless. He didn't understand why was his daughter treating him like an oxygen - necessary but otherwise invisible. He tried, he really really tried to talk to her, to make her listen, but the girl either stared at him in a silent defiance until he finished talking or simply run away at whenever she spotted him before he even got a chance to speak.

It was hard to believe that mere days ago he was blissfully happy, enjoying his honeymoon with the love of his life. No calls, no cares… and now this. He couldn't help but feel that everything just came crashing down on top of him.

To make matters worse Morticia's made, what he considered a unilateral decision to apply to the American Council of Witchcraft and arrange the transfer, so she could study for her degree in America instead of going to Paris. In her judgement, it was the best course of action considering the situation. Something Aurora Addams was only too happy to help with. Something that was a subject of an ongoing argument they were currently having behind the closed doors of their bedroom.

"No, Tish, you can't do that," he said again, pacing the length of their bedroom back and forth.

Morticia took a deep breath rubbing the space between her eyes. It seemed that a headache was to become her constant companion nowadays. Her husband's irrational stubbornness didn't do her any favours. She really didn't expect such a fierce resistance from him taking into account their current situation.

"Gomez…"

"No!"He interjected ferociously."I won't let you sacrifice all your hard work for…" he stopped unsure how to continue.

"For what?" She asked, getting progressively irritated."For my husband, for my family?"

He turned towards her annoyed, mostly because he knew she was right - there was no other choice and he hated it more than he could put into words.

"You should at least discuss it with me first," he said petulantly.

Morticia almost told him she would have absolutely loved to do just that, but it's quite impossible to talk to someone who locks himself in a room to play with his model trains. However, the little she learned about her husband in the last week told her it would be a spectacularly bad idea.

"Darling," she said softly instead, raising from the chair opposite her dressing table. She made her way towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck."I know you don't like it, but we need to be realistic."

"I don't want to be realistic," he snapped petulantly."I don't want you to give up everything because of me."

"I know," she placated."But we have other responsibilities now…"

" _I_  have responsibilities," he interjected sharply."You should not bear the burden of it."

She looked at him startled as if he just slapped her and slowly extracted her hands from him.

"If you really think that," she whispered with a deadly frost."Then you insult me and my love for you," she added and made a move to detach herself from him but he was faster and pulled her against him in one swift move, locking her securely in his arms.

"Tish, cara mia, forgive me," he said desperately against her lips."I'm sorry, I'm an idiot. I didn't mean to say...it's just...I don't know what to do, I don't know how to deal with all this. She hates me, you have to give up your studies... nothing is as it should be...and I fear that all this will drive us apart," he added breathlessly, his eyes brimming with angry tears.

Her look softened and she touched his cheeks gently, before kissing him long and hard.

"Everything's going to be fine," she whispered with a confidence she didn't really feel, pressing her forehead against his."But don't shut me out, I can't stand it."

"I'm sorry," he repeated."I don't mean to do that."

"I know, darling," she said affectionately before adding seriously."But hiding in that room is not going to solve anything and is not going to make you feel any better."

"You're right. I know that," he admitted."But...I sort of made a habit of running away from my problems. It's difficult to stop."

"Gomez, darling, you haven't made a mere habit out of it," she countered with a gentle smile."You've made it into an Olympic discipline and you're championing it."

* * *

Salvador Addams squinted his eyes at the impossibly small print at the bottom of the latest business investment proposal and sighed in annoyance. While he certainly appreciated the truly deplorable modern practice of hiding the little details in the small print, it annoyed him to no end when he had to read through it himself.

He huffed unhappily and opened the drawer to get his magnifying glass, only to discover that it wasn't there.

"Thing," he addressed the faithful servant and the decapitated hand immediately jumped on the desk before him."Have you seen my magnifying glass."

Thing shook itself in denial but Salvador Addams was a businessman and he recognized a damn liar when he saw one. It took one to know one, after all.

"Thing…," he addressed the hand pointedly."What have you done with my magnifying glass?"He asked and narrowed his eyes when Thing started tracing nervous patterns with his fingers."Don't tell me nothing, you look guilty as hell," Salvador pointed out.

A muffled giggle reverberated from the other side of the library where Ivy was lying on her stomach among pieces of white paper and arrays of different colour crayons.

"Do you know the whereabouts of my magnifying glass, paloma?"

Ivy nodded and smiled menacingly at Thing when the later started moving frantically on the desk.

"Tish took it away from him yesterday when…," she started to say but the rest of the sentence came out as a muffled gibberish when Thing darted from the table and covered Ivy's mouth in a desperate attempt to prevent her from speaking.

"When what?"

"Whn h td t bn Clpwa."

"Thing, let go of her this instant," Salvador commanded."I can't understand a word she's saying."

Thing has obediently done just that and hoovered dejectedly next to Ivy making her laugh even harder.

"He was trying to use it to set Cleopatra on fire again and Morticia caught him just as he was setting up the lamp," she giggled."And now he's in big trouble."

Salvador sighed exasperatedly at the ridiculous war between Thing and his daughter-in-law's African Strangler. He never suspected the two things could be so creative in planning each other's demise.

"Thing, you're a handful," he commented with an exasperated shake of his head turning the contract in his hand before muttering to himself."How am I supposed to read the blasted thing now?"

"I can read it for you, "the little girl said already getting up on her feet.

"You can?"

"I'm the best reader in my class," she explained proudly." But I don't know all the words yet, so I may need help," she added taking the contract from him."It says: The company beers or bears….I'm not sure…

"Bears."

"Ok bears no... li-a-bi-li-ty?"

"Yes."

"For the deaths and or life changing in-ju-ries of the pro-spec-tive investors."

Salvador raised his hand. "Stop right there, I'm in," he said eagerly."Thank you, paloma. You're a very skilled reader"

"You're welcome," she beamed at him."What are you buying?"

"Nothing," he smiled."This is an investment opportunity sent to me by a certain young scientist from Australia who needs funds for his research. He wants to breed a colony of gigantic, poisonous spiders."

"That sounds fun!"His granddaughter exclaimed excitedly.

"It does indeed, "Salvador agreed with a wide grin.

"One day I shall have a huge colony of spiders," she said confidently before picking up an A4 paper from the desk and showed it to her grandfather."Do you like it? I drew it all by myself."

Salvador took the picture from her and nodded appreciatively.

"It's lovely," he praised."You're quite an artist. Is that grandmama?"He pointed at the figure next to a huge cauldron.

"Yes!"She grinned happily."And that's you, Tish and that's me holding her hand. And that's Thing and Cleo - they're choking each other," she explained.

"That's certainly accurate," he laughed but then frowned slightly."But you forgot to draw your father," he pointed out gently.

"Oh no, I didn't forget," she replied shaking her head before adding cheerfully."He's not with us because he was eaten by a giant sea monster."

"Ha! A death worthy of an Addams," he commented jovially."May we all be so lucky."

* * *

Despite the undeniable grimness of the situation, Gomez had to smile and the sounds of laughing children running around the graveyard. He internally praised his mother's idea for inviting Wedge and Lith over so Ivy could have a playdate with someone her own age.

Ivy and Lumpy took of instantly; with Lumpy commenting that Ivy was definitely too small to be a five-year-old. After all, he was a head taller than her and a year younger, to which the little girl reciprocated with sticking her leg out when Lumpy decided they should go play in the graveyard, making him fall flat on his face in the middle of the hall.

The two rascals were chasing after each other with kitchen knives ever since.

In the meantime, the two couples were enjoying the afternoon on the terrace, with Gomez and Wedge competing against each other in a game of who can hit more golf balls over the graveyard and Morticia chatting with Lithium over a cup of henbane tea while dutifully supporting their respective, attention-seeking husbands.

"So... your mama forgot to tell you all about bees and stuff?" Wedge teased goodnaturedly as he took a hearty swing at the golf ball and they watch it flew over the graveyard.

"Shut up," Gomez growled but couldn't help but smile at his cousin's friendly teasing as he prepared to take a swing at his own golf ball. Somehow, it made him feel better to be able to joke about the situation that so little was funny about."Watch that, querida," he called to his wife and took a mighty swing with his golf club and they all watched the ball fly way over the graveyard and hit the window of their neighbour's house with a loud crash.

"Oh, that was just marvellous, darling!" Morticia praised, smiling brilliantly at her husband."Well done."

"Thank you, cara mia," he bowed graciously and turned to his cousin with a challenging smirk."Beat that."

"Watch me," his cousin replied confidently and sure enough soon another loud crash of the window breaking followed. "I'm in the lead."

"Not for long," Gomez replied.

"Anyway, dear cousin, "Wedge said with an undeniable air of authority."As your elder, I feel obliged to inform you that science has moved on considerably on the subject of preventing pregnancy," he grinned picking another ball from the basket.

"Ha! You're the one to talk," his wife scolded sarcastically from her place in the old, terrace swing-bench where she was sitting next to Morticia.

"Liiiith," he whined."Could you please not interfere when I bask in a glory over my cousin here,  _this one time_?"

"What glory?" She snorted."May I remind you that your 'safe sex' is currently running around the graveyard with Gomez's daughter?" She pointed out, before turning back to Morticia."We've met at the Halloween party," she explained and snapped her fingers before adding: "Nine months later we had that little devil there."

Morticia grinned at Wedge's outraged expression.

"Don't listen to her Morticia, "Wedge denied dramatically before adding, just as Gomez was about to take a swing at his ball."I was but a virgin when I married her and innocent as a baby vulture."

A choked snort came out of Lithium as she spat her tea and started coughing and laughing simultaneously, followed by Morticia's hearty laugh and Gomez's golf club hitting the terrace wooden floor and his strangled cough.

"Oh look, "Wedge pointed causally at Gomez's untouched golf ball."You missed."

* * *

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all for all your support and messages, you guys really make my day. :)
> 
> Warning: some strong language in this chapter.

**Chapter 8**

He would rather be downstairs, playing with his trains, he thought moodily as he stared absently at the writings in a book he was half-heartedly pretending to read.

Nobody could ever claim that Gomez Addams was a patient man, nor even the man himself. On the contrary, he was always vastly impatient, hot-tempered; immature at times - as his mother often told him but he never thought it's necessary to change his ways.

It was his nature, he was a Castilian after all, aren't they all impatient and hot-tempered? His father certainly was, his uncles. It was in their blood.

Unfortunately, parenting, as Gomez was beginning to find out, apparently required an immense amount of patience, mild temper and a hearty dose of maturity. He didn't think he possessed any of those qualities. He wasn't Fester.

Oh, how much he wished his brother could be here. Fester, with his brilliant mind, his mild and caring disposition, would be so much better at this than he was; he would certainly know what to do but alas his brother was not here and he could blame no one but himself.

Truth be told, he's always thought he'd be a wonderful father, he loved children. He adored all his little cousins, nieces and nephews and always had a great fun playing with them.

However, it turns out there is a vast difference between being a joyful uncle and being a father. Parenting was immensely harder; particularly when your own offspring despised you for no apparent reason. He was starting to think fatherhood just wasn't for him.

Gomez winced, scolding himself internally. He really had to stop this kind of thinking, he was beginning to annoy himself. No wonder his wife got exasperated with him for his habitual wallowing in guilt and misery. Thankfully, she couldn't read minds because -

He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts by a large paper ball hitting him square in the forehead.

"What's that for, querida?" he asked, glaring at his wife in a faux outrage for he knew exactly what it was for and he knew very well he deserved it.

"You looked like you needed it, mon amour" his wife replied gently, smiling at him knowingly from behind her book and watched his expression turn sheepish; next to her Ivy giggled contentedly.

His wife practically banned him from entering the Train Room, insisting he spends time with his daughter...or rather around her, for Ivy Addams has done her utmost to make him feel an especially unwelcome company while at the same time pretending he wasn't there at all. Most of the time she was drawing pictures of him being eaten by large monsters and hanging them in various places around the house.

Naturally, everyone - including his wife, found it utterly hilarious. Although, at least Morticia had a good grace not to laugh in his face; unlike his dear parents who never missed a chance to poke fun at him about it.

Yet, he couldn't help but get the impression that despite her obvious animosity, the little girl was becoming more and more comfortable around him. Whereas she used to became quiet and withdrawn, whenever he entered the room, now she simply ignored him. Once she even forgot herself and laughed at something he said to his father.

"Look Tish, do you like my picture?"Ivy asked innocently, pointing at the image of a giant, pink octopus tearing a cartoon-Gomez apart.

Gomez watched his wife bit her lips in a hardly concealed amusement and take the picture to examine it properly.

"It's beautiful, darling," she commented with a soft smile before turning to her mother-in-law who was knitting at the chair opposite."Look, mama, so many wonderfully gruesome details."

His mother looked appropriately awed before a mean smirk crossed her lips and she declared obnoxiously:

"Oh, we should definitely give this one to Aurora, she'll absolutely love it."

* * *

 

Ivy Addams felt incredibly fancy as she looked at her brand new dress and her brand new Mary Janes. She was allowed to choose the dress and the shoes herself, so obviously she made sure everything sparkled. Except, they couldn't find sparkly shoes in her size, but she liked her shiny, white Mary Janes just as well. Morticia even styled her hair into two lovely braids and tied them with two white ribbons Ivy chose when they were out shopping for her outfit. Too bad her mum never dressed her in fancy clothes like that because she really liked it.

Still, she couldn't help but feel nervous when she stepped out of the green Packard onto a pavement in front of a white, two-storey house with large, brown doors. It looked way different from the Addams mansion. She noticed there was a neat line of potted green plants in front of the house, similar to the ones her mother put in front of theirs. Everything here looked so neat and tidy - she didn't really like it. It didn't look like a place with many spiders.

"Are you ok?"Morticia asked gently, bending towards her with a gentle smile on her face.

"What if they're not gonna like me?"She asked nervously.

Morticia shared a quick look with her husband who, for the sake of Ivy's comfort, stood at a safe distance away from them, before addressing the little girl calmly.

"Oh, darling, they will love you,"she assured with a comforting smile, but Ivy turned towards her with an apprehensive expression on her face.

"Can you carry me?"She whispered as if embarrassed by her request, but Morticia immediately nodded and picked the girl up, balancing her little frame on her hip as Ivy wrapped her arms around her neck in, what could only be described as a death grip.

"For someone so tiny, you certainly have an impressive strength,"she grunted and Gomez let out an amused laugh, despite himself, as he followed them both into the house of his in-laws.

* * *

 

Hester Frump was beside herself with glee when, after looking through the window every two minutes over the last hour, she finally noticed the familiar, green Packard arrive on the driveway..

"They're here!"she exclaimed excitedly, waving her hands like a maniac."They're here!"

Ophelia rolled her eyes exasperatedly at her mother's frantic behaviour. How this woman managed to produce the ever poised and serene creature that was Morticia Frump, now Addams, was a mystery.

"Mama, calm down, you will scare the hell out of that child."

"Believe it or not, she is calm," her father interjected from his position on the armchair beside her, slowly lightening his cigar.

"You should've seen her in the morning,"Mabel nodded."I think her blood pressure was off the chart."

The gentle sound of the doorbell reverberated through the house and all three of them watched, with eyes wide open, as Hester practically sprinted towards the door before their butler had a chance to blink.

"Oh dear Lord, has she finally flipped?"

"Ophelia! This is your mother you're talking about,"her father scolded as they all moved to the hallway, before admitting defeatedly:"I'm afraid you might be right."

* * *

 

For one bizarre moment, Gomez Addams was sure he entered some alternate reality when his mother-in-law opened the door swiftly and practically squealed at the sight of them.

Gomez turned his head slowly towards his wife, looking at her with nothing less but an utter bewilderment. Even Ivy looked at Hester with a mix of freight and curiosity, tightening her grip on Morticia's neck even further.

"Sorry, I should have warned you,"Morticia whispered, leaning slightly towards to her husband."She's very excited."

"No kidding."

"Oh, just look at her, she's absolutely precious!"Hester exclaimed without greeting either of them, but focusing solely on the little girl as she let them in inside the house, before addressing Ivy in the sweetest manner Morticia ever seen her speak in her entire life."Hello, darling."

"Hello, Mrs Frump,"Ivy answered politely, realising her death grip on Morticia's neck only slightly.

"Oh, what's with Mrs Frump?"She laughed, waving her hand dismissively."I'm your grandma, you should call me Granny Frump."

"You are?"Ivy asked curiously, furrowing her brow in mild confusion.

"Of course I am!" she confirmed with a wide smile and asked promptly."Do you like fudge?"

Ivy inhaled sharply, nodding eagerly at Hester and immediately released her hold on Morticia's neck.

"Well then, I've had the whole batch made just for you,"she said and extended her hands towards the child and, to everyone's surprise, the girl leaned towards her willingly and allowed herself to be picked up."You can eat to your heart's content,"she added as they made their way towards the kitchen, without sparing a single look towards the rest of the family.

Gomez watched them disappear down the hall and blinked furiously, then looked at his wife with an expression of total confusion before turning to his father-in-law who was now standing next to him, casually smoking his cigar but neither of them seemed to find anything odd with Hester's behaviour.

"I see mother's level of excitement is somewhere near the roof,"Morticia stated affectionately, kissing her father's cheeks in greeting.

"A solid twelve out of ten,"her father replied with a straight face.

" _Granny_  Frump?" Gomez asked as if unsure he actually heard correctly.

Next to him, Mabel shook her head before motioning at them to move in the direction of the parlour.

"Please, don't ask," she said, shaking her head exasperatedly."She has been up since five a.m. making that damn fudge."

"What's a fudge?"Gomez asked his wife.

"Oh, it's enough to say that there're milk and sugar involved...and lots of it,"Morticia explained wrinkling her nose in disgust.

He stopped dead on his tracks and watched them make their way to the parlour before turning to his father-in-law who was watching him curiously.

"And she's going to feed that thing to my daughter?"

"With vanilla ice cream," he replied, deadpan before reaching to his breast pocket and producing a Cuban cigar. He handed it to Gomez with an unmistakable smirk on his face."I guess...congratulations are in order?"

Gomez felt a sudden urge to gulp and hide under the nearest rock as he took the cigar slowly, his manner uncertain, utterly unsure where this was going.

"Emmm, thanks,"he blurted as Mortimer lighted his cigar.

"Gomez..."

"Ye-,"his head went forward so violently he almost choked on the cigar smoke. He coughed to clear his throat before turning to his father-in-law again."Well, I deserved it this time."

Mortimer snorted at his assessment and leaned closed before whispering into his face with a deadly frost:

"You deserved all of them... _Addams_."

* * *

 

Morticia Addams was doing her best not to laugh as she watched Ivy sit in front of Ophelia with a confused frown on her face.

"Are you sure that's your sister?"Ivy asked suspiciously and Morticia was certain she heard her husband's muffled laugh, followed by Mabel's blatant snort.

"Pretty sure."

"Because you look nothing alike," Ivy insisted before turning her head towards Ophelia, who was looking at her with an unconcealed amusement, and then back to Morticia."My mummy read in a newspaper once about this lady and another lady who had babies and it turned out the babies were switched in the hospital. Tish, I think you were switched as well."

"Nah, I've already checked,"Ophelia deadpanned."No such luck."

"I like your dress - it's so pink," Ivy complimented politely.

"Why, thank you,"Ophelia beamed at the little girl."I like yours, it's so sparkly."

Ivy grinned happily at the compliment.

"Tish bought it for me."

"Wha...really?"Ophelia asked with disbelief.

Ivy nodded enthusiastically and turned to Morticia with a big smile.

"She bought me my shoes as well."

Ophelia turned sharply to Morticia, who was sitting on a sofa next to Ivy, with her arms crossed at her chest, her eyebrow arched in a mute challenge - daring her sister to make even one single, tiny, damn comment on the purchase.

Her sister, never one to disappoint, almost squealed with glee.

"You bought this pink, sparkly dress,  _you_?"Ophelia asked, staring at her sister with eyes wide open.

"Stop it."

"Tiiishyyy, that's so sweet."

"I said stop it."

"My sister - the mistress of darkness and eternal gloom, was actually seen buying a pink, sparkly dress for a little girl,"she squealed, putting her hand over her heart and gazing softly at Morticia. "It's a dream."

"I hate you."

Next to her, Gomez coughed in a vain attempt to cover his laugh, highly amused by the sisterly banter.

"It's not funny," Morticia groused, narrowing her eyes at her sister who was still grinning at her obnoxiously."I'm going to have nightmares of fluffy puppies and rainbows for the rest of the year."

* * *

 

Ivy was struggling to fight a yawn that threatened to escape as Morticia helped her change into her nightdress after her bath.

"Did you have fun today?"Morticia prodded gently, brushing her long, blond hair.

"So much fun!" she nodded eagerly, stretching her arms in the opposite directions before looking appreciatively at her pink - coated nails, courtesy of Ophelia who decided it would be a marvellous idea to show Ivy her collection of twenty-one unique shades of pink nail polish bottles. Needless to say, the little girl was delighted to have her nails and toenails painted with absolutely every single shade.

"Aunt Ophelia said she's going to take me shopping,"she said tiredly but with an undeniable air of excitement."We're going to buy all the pink dresses in the shops!"

_Oh. Dear. Lord._

"Well, you couldn't have found a greater expert on pink than Ophelia,"she said with only a barest hint of sarcasm that, naturally, went over the little girl's head, for she only giggled with excitement."Hop into bed."

Ivy nodded but first run to Kitty Cat, that was already snuggled at the foot of her bed, and kissed his nose to which the animal let out a friendly growl.

"Good night Kitty, hope you have sweet nightmares,"she said and climbed into bed."When I grow up I wanna be like aunt Ophelia," she declared.

Well, she's  _definitely_  not going to mention  _that_  to her husband.

"You certainly have a lot in common,"she said instead, smiling softly at the little girl.

Ivy nodded her head eagerly.

"I like fudge and she likes fudge; and we both like pink  _everything_  and ice cream,"she counted excitedly.

"Ivy,"Morticia interrupted gently, tucking her snugly under the duvet. The little girl smiled and looked at her expectantly."You need to give your father a chance."

In an instant, the soft expression, Ivy was regarding her with, turned thundery at the mention of her father and the little girl looked away, focusing silently on her entwined hands.

The silence in the room was deafening.

"Darling - "

" - why should I give him a chance?"She interjected contemptuously, carefully avoiding looking at Morticia."He didn't give me any."

"What do you mean?"She asked with a frown, genuinely confused by her statement. Since the girl arrived at the Addams' mansion two weeks ago, she watched her husband try his utmost to win the girl's affections, but she's barely spoken to him.

Ivy's frown seemed to deepen, if that was even possible, and she bit her pale pink lips before looking at Morticia, her half-lidded eyes, so much like her father's, brimming with unshed tears.

"He doesn't want me here," she whispered hoarsely.

"That's not true," Morticia countered immediately, without hesitation.

"It is so," the little girl hissed."It's you who said I can stay here. You and grandmama, not him. He doesn't want me here," she repeated with a pitiful sniff, wiping the tears off her cheeks furiously before adding breathlessly."Why should I give him a chance when he didn't give me any, even though I was kind and polite the whole time just like Miss Watson told me to be - "

Morticia's heart almost shattered at the miserable look on Ivy's face and she took the little girl in her arms before she even finished talking. She felt Ivy's skinny arms wrap tightly around her neck and her wet tears soak her dress as the girl sobbed uncontrollably in her arms.

She didn't expect a five-year-old to be so perceptive, but obviously, she vastly underestimated her observations skills. Nevertheless, she was pleased with the girl's admission, because if anything it meant that Ivy didn't really hate her father, she was simply hurt and disappointed by his initial reaction to her that she obviously perceived as rejection.

Morticia closed her eyes and rubbed Ivy's little back comfortingly placing a gentle kiss on the girl's soft hair until she heard the sobs cease, before addressing the little girl softly:

"Ivy, listen to me,"she said and waited until Ivy looked at her. Morticia wiped her wet cheeks with her thumbs before continuing."You were a big surprise for him...for all of know, most people have a long time to get use to the idea of having a child. Your father was not angry with you, he was angry because he wasn't told about you, he was angry about the way he found out about you, that he missed so much of your life, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want you here, because I know he does very much. Do you understand?"

Ivy nodded."I think so,"she said reluctantly.

"Your father is really a wonderful man,"she smiled at her and tucked a loose hair behind Ivy's ear."He's very funny and incredibly caring person, and I know you will love him if you only give him a chance, so you two can get to know each other."

Ivy looked at her thoughtfully."Do you love him?"

"I do,"Morticia replied immediately, smiling at the question."I love him very much."

Ivy seemed to contemplate her words for a while before turning to her and saying decidedly: "Ok then, if you want me to...I will give him a chance."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you,"she said and leaned closer to place a soft kiss on Ivy's forehead."Would you like me to tell you a bedtime story?"

"Oh no, thank you,"Ivy replied, settling herself back in the bed."I don't like fairy tales."

"Fairy tales?"She repeated bemused."Oh no, darling, we don't do fairy tales in this house."

* * *

 

Despite a mighty headslap - from which he thought his ears were still ringing, being degraded by his father-in-law to the 'Addams' again and that weird food Hester served to his daughter, Gomez decides he really enjoyed Sunday afternoon at his in-laws.

Ivy's fascination with Ophelia was equally as amusing as it was terrifyingly. Devil only knows what might come out of it, he was actually scared to think what might come out of it.

He could only hope that his darling wife will provide a necessary balance.

It seemed to him ages since they were out together like this and he immediately realized how much he missed it. He always loved how her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, so beautiful, so deliciously unearthly. He just couldn't stop staring at her and silently wondered if there'll ever be a time when he'll get used to her beauty, whether his blood always feel like it's on fire whenever she graced him with that enchanting smile of hers?

"Penny for your thoughts?"His enchantress asked with a knowing smile and he let out an embarrassed half-laugh.

"I was just thinking how incredibly beautiful you look - midnight, moonlight, surrounded by death," he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her temple as they were taking a midnight stroll through the Addams graveyard.

"It's been too long," she said before placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

"You're nervous about that meeting with the Council?"

"A bit," she admitted."In France they already know me, they know my work. I don't need to prove myself to anyone and here I feel like I have to...I don't know... pitch myself to those people."

"You will do fantastic," her husband assured, kissing her knuckles softly."You're a brilliant witch after all."

Morticia laughed quietly at his assessment.

"And how would you know that?" she asked facetiously.

"I read your academic reports," he confessed and grinned at her caddishly, eliciting a soft laugh out of her.

"Well, isn't this a blatant violation of privacy, Mr Addams?"

"It is indeed," he admitted before adding honestly: "You left them on my desk and I was too curious to resist."

"You know what they say about curiosity?" she teased, raising her shapely eyebrow at him pointedly, making him chuckle. She smiled and leaned further into his embrace. The weather was getting progressively cold, even with her cloak wrapped around her, she couldn't help but shiver.

She looked at her husband lovingly and her lips curled into a content smile. He seemed in a lighter mood tonight, much more relaxed than she had seen him in the last two weeks. There was still a noticeable tension in his body, but there was no longer this unbearable air of dejection about him.

She thought briefly about telling him about her conversation with Ivy, but for some reason she was reluctant to start on that subject. Selfish as it may seem, tonight she wanted her husband only to herself.

"Cold?"He asked as they reached nearly the far end of the graveyard where the small, forest of dead, barren trees started."Want to go back?"

She shook her head gently.

"No, not yet," she replied.

He stopped and wrapped his arms around her before placing a slow, soft kiss on her ruby lips.

"You might freeze," he whispered, sneaking one hand under her cloak.

"Oh, well, then I guess you will have to come up with various ways to keep me warm," she replied suggestively against his lips.

"Mmmmm, I'm sure I can think of something," he said, sliding the hood of her cloak off her hair and pushing her gently against the barren tree before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, his hands already roaming her body hungrily, making her moan softly.

She felt her body warm up in response to his touch. His hands rested on her hips and he fisted his fingers into the soft lace of her dress before slowly, methodically started to bunch the material upwards until the hem of her dress reached her waist. She swallowed audibly as he broke the kiss and went down on his knees before her.

"Gomez…" she whispered, her heart hammering in anticipation as he kissed his way up her tight before hooking her right leg on his shoulder and she had to hold on onto the tree to keep her balance. She watched, mesmerised, as he pushed her black, lace panties aside and couldn't help but moan loudly when she felt his hot lips and tongue on her wet centre.

Her breath caught sharply in her breast as he slipped two fingers inside her, her inner muscles already starting to contract with her desire for him. Her breathing turned shallow and she closed her eyes, biting her lips hard when a familiar warmth started to spread in her groin. She heard him groan with desire and press his tongue more firmly against her and she couldn't help but yield to his skilful caress, her lips parting sharply in a breathless moan as it reverberated gently through the midnight.

She felt him next to her, urgent and restless, attacking the soft skin on her neck with an unbridled ferocity; shaking with his need for her and her body responded in kind. She loved the way he made her feel. When they were together everything else ceased in its importance and the only thing that mattered to her was him - his soft lips, his hot skin against hers, his low, raspy voice when he whispered her name.

He moaned and pinned her firmly against the tree, her back connecting sharply with the rough bark and she whimpered with pain and the strength of his desire. She captured his lips in a violent kiss and he let out a low growl, his palms close painfully on her hips as he pressed insistently against her.

"Gomez, please…"

"Tell me," he whispered, grinding his hips against hers, making her whimper with desire.

"I need you, mon cher," she moaned."I want you so much."

He groaned appreciatively, deep in his throat, his voice hoarse with lust as he fumbled with the belt of his trousers.

"I need to feel you inside of me," she whispered against his lips, helping him undo his clothes."I want you to take me now, I want -," she moaned deliciously as he lifted her leg to his hip and drove into her sharply.

He moaned and his body shivered at the feeling of her inner muscles contracting gently around him from the aftermath of her orgams and pounded into her, whispering her name, pressing her between the barren tree and his hot body.

"Harder," she moaned, wrapping her arms around him and pressing herself against him. She felt his hand squeeze her leg tighter as his moved inside her aggressively, his hot breath against her neck. She clutched desperately at his shoulders, pressing her body against his; it felt so good she almost forgot how to breathe. She cried out and closed her eyes tightly as the intense heat in her groin spread through her like lightning.

He didn't give her a chance to recover as his restless, demanding hands and soft kisses continued to caress her body.

"Let's go back to the house," he whispered next to her ear, his voice husky with lust and the aftermath of his climax, it made her whole body tremble with need all over again."I'm not done with you yet."

* * *

 

Despite her hopeful conversation with Ivy, the next morning produced no visible changes in little girl's behaviour towards Gomez.

Neither the morning after that.

Eventually, on Wednesday evening during their usual family dinner, to everyone's unbridled surprise, Ivy wordlessly passed her father the salt he requested, leaving him practically speechless.

It was a tiny gesture but nevertheless encouraging.

Yet, here there were on this beautifully cold and grey Thursday morning, having breakfast, but to everyone's disappointment, Ivy still muttered only a polite but cold hello to Gomez's good morning. Still preferred to sit next to Salvador who, to her utter delight, was showing her his favourite ways of playing with food, still didn't spare one look at her father even when she turned to Morticia and ask her if she may help with feeding Cleopatra again - to which Morticia readily agreed.

"Gomez, darling, you haven't touched your breakfast, "Eudora pointed out.

"I'm not hungry, mama," he replied somberly and drowned his coffee with one gulp, before turning to Morticia."I need to make some phone calls, if you need me I will be in the library," he announced before placing a soft kiss on her lips and promptly left the kitchen.

Morticia inhaled deeply and turned to her mother-in-law with a helpless look, but the older woman only looked at her back with the same look of helplessness.

"Ivy, "Morticia addressed the little girl who turned to her with a happy smile."You're going to spend the day with grandfather and grandmama, ok? I have some things to do and I may be out until the late afternoon," she explained.

"May I come with you?"She asked with a hopeful smile.

"No, darling, I'm sorry," Morticia replied regrettably."I have lots of adult, boring stuff to do, you will have more fun here, trust me."

"Oh, ok then," Ivy said politely and went back to stabbing her breakfast, making Morticia smile.

"Is your meeting with the council today?"Eudora enquired, sipping her coffee slowly.

Morticia nodded. "Aurora asked me to meet her at her apartment so we can go over the details and we'll go to the council from there," she explained with a note of apprehension that didn't go unnoticed by her mother-in-law.

"You have nothing to worry about, Morticia," she smiled encouragingly."With your academic record, this should be a smooth transfer."

"I hope you're right, mama," she said finishing her coffee."I'll better go get ready," she announced, already standing up."If I end up being thirty seconds late, I shall never hear the end of it."

Salvador laughed at her assessment.

"With our dear aunt, if you're not ten minutes early, you're already late."

"I noticed."

"Consider yourself lucky you're not a male Addams," he said."Or you'd also be another victim of that damn walking stick."

"Perhaps, I should ask Aurora to leave it to me as inheritance, "Eudora muttered into her coffee.

"That's not a bad idea, mama," Morticia agreed with a smile."It could be our precious family heirloom, for our female descendants to inherit."

Both women grinned at each other, earning themselves a vicious glare from Salvador Addams.

"You two are despicable," he groused.

Nevertheless, he had to smile inwardly as he watched his daughter-in-law finish her coffee and hurriedly make her way upstairs.

Not for the first time, he felt an overwhelming gratitude to whoever placed her in their life. He had no doubt that she was the glue that held them all together in this crazy situation. That it was Morticia's reaction to this unexpected circumstance, her decision to stand by her husband and support him in what has to be one of the worst scenarios a young wife might find herself in, that ultimately saved them from it becoming an utter disaster.

Even in this, less than ideal circumstances, she made him realize that perhaps to simply stick together as a family was the key to surviving even the most impossible of challenges.

* * *

 

Due to the fact that her opinion of the male specimens of the Addams clan was so low that it was practically rotting somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, it really didn't surprise Morticia that Aurora Addams took the news of the unexpected addition to the Addams household as… well, no news really. She barely gave a non-committal shrug of her bony shoulders when Morticia disclosed to her the reason for her impromptu request to help her with an application for a transfer to the American Council of Witchcraft.

"You look awfully tired," the old lady commented unceremoniously as they made their way to the balcony. It was a cold and windy day, perfect for having tea on the outside.

"I see all these years of mingling among the Addamses haven't caused their charm to rub off on you, "Morticia commented dryly taking a seat on a battered wicker chair. Of course she looked tired. She barely got any sleep last night due to all the sinfully delightful things her husband did to her. It was almost four o'clock in the morning before they finally went to sleep. Not that she was complaining.

"Aren't those charms the very reason you needed to change your study plans?"The old lady pointed out humorously.

"Touché, "Morticia admitted and smiled despite herself.

"I don't understand why was it such a shock for him, though; with his lifestyle?" she commented disapprovingly, watching the young woman carefully while slowly sipping her henbane tea."We should all be grateful he only ended up with one child out of wedlock."

"It's not an easy situation to find yourself in," Morticia defended, a slight frown gracing her beautiful features. She was surprised at Aurora's openly hostile tone.

Aurora snorted contemptuously and regarded Morticia with a mocking stare.

"It's a situation of his own making. The only real victims of it are the girl and you," she said and raised her palm in a gesture that told Morticia she doesn't want to be interrupted."Let me tell you something, my dear. Gomez Addams you've married is not the same Gomez he was before he met you."

"I know that-" she interjected, but the old lady cut her off briskly.

"But you don't," Aurora said sternly." All his adult life he was a reckless dandy with no concern for anyone but himself. What he's done to Fester was deplorable, but he didn't give a damn about it until it turned into a disaster; and now what? He's shocked to learn that there's no such thing as casual sex with no strings attached? Oh, poor, little Gomez, my heart bleeds for him."

"So what then?"Morticia asked softly, but there was an unmistakable frost in her tone."Shall he forever rot in the past and never move on from what happened? Should he allow his past sins to prevent him from becoming a better person now? Gomez never hid his past from me and I was very much aware of his reputation when I married him. I admit, that this is not how I pictured my marriage to start and I'm not overly happy about it but laying the blame is not going to change anything and it's not going to help anyone," she paused briefly before adding fiercely."I love my husband and I'll stand by him no matter what."

"Even if it means raising his bastard daughter?"The older lady pressed calmly, eyeing Morticia curiously.

"Then so be it, "Morticia replied firmly without hesitation."And please don't refer to her as such."

"But that's what she is, that's what our dear upper-class friends and family will think of her, "Aurora explained patiently."We might be Addamses, but like all families, we have quite a few numbers of pretentious bouffons in ours."

"She's an Addams," Morticia said succinctly with an air of finality, looking the older lady straight in the eyes."And she will be respected as one."

Aurora set her cup aside and watched Morticia silently for few long seconds until Morticia had to fight an urge to look away from the old lady's piercing gaze.

"I don't know what my nephew's done to deserve you," she said finally with an affectionate smile, making Morticia blink in confusion at the sudden change in her tone, before adding."But I'm glad he has you in his life. Anyway, let's discuss that transfer."

* * *

 

Gomez Addams laughed heartily into the telephone receiver, highly amused at Johnson's latest panic attack over his father's business investments ideas.

"Mr Addams, this is not a laughing matter," the investment manager insisted."This is an investment disaster."

"That's what you said when he bought a crocodile farm," Gomez commented jovially, casually smoking his cigar.

"Mr Addams, you've lost over hundred thousand dollars on that investment," Johnson pointed out incredulously."And I use the term investment loosely."

"But the amount of fun we have there is priceless!" Gomez countered.

"With all due respect, Mr Addams, but may I remind you that your cousin Ulrik was eaten there by a crocodile just two years ago."

"Ah, don't remind me," Gomez groused, taking a long drag of his cigar."I'm still mad I've missed it."

He heard Johnson take a deep, exasperated breath before his tired voice resonated through the receiver again.

"Could you at least  _try_  to talk him out of it, "Johnson pleaded."He's already drowned half a million on that swamp in Peru. The last thing you need is a buzzard farm in Southern Crimea."

"Johnson, old men, you worry too much…" he commented lightly when suddenly the sound of the doorbell reverberated throughout the mansion. He was about to ignore it when he remembered that there was no one else in the house beside him, for both of his parents, Ivy, Lurch and Thing went snake hunting in the morning. "Hold on...I'll be right back."

Gomez moved briskly to the front door and opened them with his usual swiftness before frowning in mild surprise at the person before him.

"Men are selfish, uncaring, egotistical bastards."

"Hello, Ophelia."

Ophelia Frump stood before him, looking like a hot mess, her face wet with fresh tears, her make-up smudged, even her daisies hung on her head in a rather dejected manner. She wiped her tears in an ostentatious manner with her fingertips and Gomez, always a gentleman, dutifully handed her his silk handkerchief.

"Is my sister in?" she asked in a sorrowful tone, taking the dark, blue fabric and promptly blew her nose in it, and Gomez tried his utmost not to wince.

He shook his head in a mute reply to her question.

"She's out with Aurora, they have a meeting in a…" he started to explain but stopped abruptly when his sister-in-law suddenly burst into tears and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Gomez I'm so devastated, so heartbroken!"

Gomez winced and tentatively patted the wailing, young woman on the back reassuringly while silently resisting an urge to roll his eyes. The last time she was heartbroken and devastated was because they've discontinued her favourite shade of nail polish and the time before that it was because she read a really sad book.

Each time, his utter admiration for his wife was taken to a whole nother level as he watched Morticia console her sister in those "difficult" moments in such a loving and sincere manner he almost believed her himself. He supposed, living together with her mother and Ophelia, she was long used to their hysterics and frequent meltdowns over beauty products. Gomez already noticed that Ophelia was nothing less than a mellowed-down version of her dear mother.

"Now, now Ophelia, calm down," he tried to placate.

"How can I calm down when my whole life is literally falling apart?!" she wept into his chest.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," he continued to appease but it only made Ophelia cry even harder.

"How can you be so mean?!" she accused, punching him - surprisingly hard - square in the chest and he almost lost his breath."You don't even know what it is about, you condescending jerk."

"Ok, ok calm down," he said breathlessly, holding his hands to his chest defensively."I'm sorry. Why don't you come in, I'll make some henbane tea and you can tell me all about it," he offered.

Ophelia's cry immediately subdued, if only fractionally, as she regarded him with an expression of an amused curiosity.

"You know how to brew a henbane tea?"

Gomez blinked and tilted his head in contemplation.

"Ok," he said."You'll make the tea. Give me just one second to finish my phone call with my investment manager - "

As if on cue, the dramatic cries re-started.

"- I waaaant Morticiaaa," she whined petulantly.

"Ok, ok...let me just  _hang-up_  and I'll be right with you…" he negotiated desperately to prevent her cries to become a full-blown meltdown.

Predictably, the cries ceased again.

"I'll be in the kitchen... crying my precious eyes out and dying of a broken heart," she said and turned dramatically towards the kitchen.

Gomez watched her make her way down the hall and suddenly had an overwhelming urge to be swallowed by a giant sea monster. As if his life wasn't complicated enough, he was now facing a prospect of spending the afternoon consoling his hysterical sister-in-law.

There was a real chance he might not survive this.

* * *

 

"So then he said he wants to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a stewardess, climb Mount Everest with his eyes closed," Ophelia explained between fits of crying. "And eat a fried chicken in every major city around the world - not necessarily in that order."

"Well, that really is his lifelong dream," Gomez interjected with an affectionate tone. "Dear cousin Itt. Always ready to reach for the skies."

Ophelia, however, paid no mind to his musing as she burst into tears again.

"And then he said he cannot possibly commit to a serious relationship," she wailed.

Gomez sighed internally. He had to say something appeasing, something that wouldn't cause another meltdown. What could he say though? This was Itt they were talking about. Next to him, Gomez looked like a priest...well almost like a priest.

What would Morticia do?

"Ophelia, listen to me," he started but didn't get any further than that, because the woman before him she had her head pressed to the table, hidden between her arms and didn't hear a damn word he said.

He felt like crying himself.

"Ophelia, you're a wonderful girl."

That did it.

Ophelia's cries ceased immediately. She lifted her head from her arms and looked at him in a shocked surprise.

"Any man would be lucky to have you," he said and watch her bite her lips before smiling at him.

"Do you really think so?" She choked out, deeply touched by his words.

 _No_ , he thought,  _he already felt sorry for the poor bastard who married her._

"From the bottom of my heart," he lied."You're beautiful, kind and…" he faltered, frantically scrambling his brain for the right word...anything really."Athletic," he finally said before quickly adding."You deserve a man who would appreciate you. Itt is a charmer, we all are," he admitted simply.

"You've changed," she pointed out.

He let out a gentle laugh.

"I have," he agreed before adding truthfully."But I'm hardly a worthy prize, am I?"

Ophelia smiled faintly.

"Morticia doesn't seem to think so," she pointed out, drawing a small laugh out of him.

"Love is blind," he said simply."Your sister deserves so much better than me."

"She'd hate to hear you say that, you know."

He actually smiled sheepishly at that, bowing his head slightly.

"I know," he admitted."She gets really annoyed whenever I say that but she deserves better...and so do you."

Ophelia looked at him gratefully and suddenly burst into tears again startling him into an utter confusion.

What the hell?!

"Wha-" he started, but she just waved at him dismissively.

"You're such a sweet guy, Gomez," she mumbled through her tears.

He let out an ungainly huff at her ridiculous assessment.

"I'm not sweet," he countered in a deadpan manner."I'm charming, handsome and witty but definitely not sweet. That's unmanly"

"Aunt Ophelia!"

The little voiced piped out from the top of the stair and they both turned towards the sound.

"I thought I heard your voice and it  _is_  you," Ivy run downstairs before throwing herself into Ophelia's extended arms.

"Awww, hi sweetheart," Ophelia greeted, smiling happily at the little girl.

"Ivy Dorothy Addams, how many times shall I remind you not to run down these stairs?" Eudora's stern voice followed as she slowly descended the stairs."You slipped on them just yesterday. Oh, hello my dear," she greeted Ophelia warmly but with an unmistaken air of cautiousness, slightly confused as to why her son and his sister-in-law were sitting alone in the kitchen over a henbane tea."I didn't know you were coming over."

"Hello, Eudora," Ophelia greeted politely, kissing the older woman on both cheeks. The little girl was already sitting happily on her laps."Oh, it was an emergency. I had to talk to Morticia because my life fell apart."

"Oh no, what happened?"Eudora asked with a genuine concern, noticing her smudged make-up."Have they discontinued another shade of your favourite nail polish brand?"

"No, thank God," she denied before admitting, in the most dramatic voice: "Itt and I've split up... for good."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Eudora said sympathetically."You must be devastated."

"I was," she admitted."But Gomez made me feel all better."

Eudora and Ivy turned to each other, both raising their eyebrows in a comically similar manner.

"Really?" they both uttered unconvincingly, looking back at the blond woman.

Ophelia nodded enthusiastically.

"You are so lucky to have such a caring man for a father, Ivy," she said affectionately, looking at the little girl and they all watched her eyebrows lift in surprise."You know under this caddish, devil-may-care attitude there's a real sweetheart."

Gomez almost snorted at her in outrage before grousing through gritted teeth.

"Will you stop saying that? I'm the ULTIMATE alpha-male."

* * *

 

Witchcraft, by its very nature, was peculiar.

However, the was nothing more peculiar that the amount of paperwork one had to submit to actually obtain a permit to study the Dark Arts.

When it came to the basic, general sorcery, anyone with a good spellbook could learn it. One didn't really require a teacher. Of course, anyone wishing to progress any further than that had to study under a qualified witch or wizard because of the sheer lack of availability of the sources, it was impossible to self-study further than the mere basics.

Nevertheless, there was a vast array of institutions the prospective students of witchcraft could choose from all around the world - provided they first registered and obtained a written permit from the witchcraft governing body of the country they wished to study in. Hence, obtaining a degree in a General Witchcraft study was relatively straightforward, if not accounting for the absolutely mind-boggling amount of study material to memorize.

Advanced study of witchcraft was a bit trickier, from the sheer amount of paperwork one had to submit to the number of interviews one had to attend. Still, it was understandable as it was a responsibility of each governing body to make sure the access to advanced training is given to the right people, in case things go awry - as they had many times in the past. Nowadays, every witch and wizard had to be registered and licensed and their license renewed every three years.

Nevertheless, even that was child's play in comparison to what Morticia had to go through during the process of applying for her master degree in the Dark Arts.

It was shocking, quite frankly, how much prejudice there still was about dark magic, even in a wizarding world.

The number of Dark Witches was tightly controlled. There was an age-old distrust of Dark Witches and so a lot of effort was made to make sure the number of White Witches always outnumbered the Dark ones. Which, Morticia thought, was utterly ridiculous, since their main job was to keep a balance between the two forces. How are they supposed to achieve that if there was a constant shortage of Dark Witches?

"It's quite ludicrous that they make you attend this meeting, to be honest," Aurora interrupted her musings as they waited for the four others members of the council to arrive and Morticia noticed her an unmistakable air of contempt.

"I quite agree," she said. She has already been accepted for her master degree in France, which technically should be valid throughout the world. Morticia silently suspected it was more to do with the fact that she was related to the member of the council that her academic abilities.

"I bet you any money it's that pompous bouffon, Geoffrey," she groused. "He won't pass up the chance to -"

She faltered as the glass door to the room opened and three men and a woman entered the room.

"Thank you for coming, Miss Frump," the youngest man of the group greeted with a smile as the all four took their seats at the table.

"My pleasure," Morticia replied politely with only a shadow of a smile."And it's Mrs Addams now."

The man smirked at her and Morticia didn't much care for the patronizing look he was currently giving her.

"Naturally, my apologies, how could I forgot?" the man said imperiously. "My name is Geoffrey Evans, I'm the head of the Natural Sciences department. These are my distinguished colleagues Mr Isaac Rubinstein, head of the History Department," he introduced, gesturing to the man on the left."Mr Peter Abrahamovich, Head of Admissions, Miss Moira Stevens, head of Research and Technology Department, and of course," he added, giving Morticia another of his little, irritating, highly patronizing smiles."Our dear Aurora Addams, the head of The Dark Arts department."

Geoffrey paused deliberately for a few seconds, pretending to skim over the folder with the documents currently placed in front of him before addressing Morticia is a polite but firm manner.

"Miss...Mrs Addams, I must admit your academic record is quite impressive."

"Thank you," she replied with a polite smile.

"Nevertheless, I hope you do realize that this is a very exclusive program," he continued."Under  _normal_  circumstances you'd have to wait and apply next year as everyone else, however," he paused and his lips curled into another small, irritating smile."Your aunt convinced us to make an exception."

"Geoffrey, dear," Aurora interjected softly before Morticia had a chance to reply."I said it to you dear father and I will say it to you - this isn't a pissing contest, no need to wave your dick in this vastly impressive show of your masculinity."

Morticia eyes widened in shock and she thought for a second she might choke on her own saliva as she watched Geoffrey's face turned red with an embarrassment, then - unsurprisingly, almost purple with rage.

Yet, to Morticia's surprise, the other members of the council either smirked or bite their cheeks in a blatant attempt to prevent themselves from laughing which told her it was certainly not the first time the old lady expressed herself in such explicit manner.

"I merely wish to point out - "

"I know very well what you wish to point out," Aurora interjected again, her tone calm and smooth like a surface of a lake on a windless day."It's a bag of bullshit and you know it. If you'd like to continue this meeting in a professional manner then, by all means please do so, otherwise, don't waste my fucking time, I have better things to do."

Morticia was sure the man before her was going to explode with rage any second now, but to her surprise, Geoffrey cleared his throat and smiled in what seemed like an unbelievably forced gesture.

"Welcome to the American Council of Witchcraft, Mrs Addams," he said softly and Morticia had to bite her cheeks so hard she was afraid they might bleed."I have no doubt you will find working with your aunt quite an experience."

* * *

 

Ivy Addams skipped happily across the hallway, a bag full of vanilla fudge in her hand, pleased with her growing collection of spiders she managed to catch with her grandfather on their snake hunting trip.

She also spent some lovely time with aunt Ophelia, who curled her hair and painted her nails red - since that's the only shade Morticia used on her nails, before she had to go, off to her retail therapy - whatever that was, Ivy wasn't sure but it didn't sound like much fun so she politely said no thank you to Ophelia's invitation to join her.

It was such a fun day, she couldn't wait to tell Morticia all about it.

Ivy was about to pop another fudge into her mouth when she saw the door to the library open and heard the unmistakable swishing sounds from inside the room, followed by the sharp sound of metal hitting the wood and she almost squealed with excitement. She would have recognized the sound of knives being thrown anywhere in the world - it was her favourite game after all, despite landing her in trouble with numerous adults along the way.

Her curiosity getting better of her, she peeked inside and saw her father throwing a highly polished set of knives against the wall where they formed a perfectly straight vertical line and she couldn't help but gasp in awe, unwittingly drawing his attention to her.

Gomez turned abruptly towards the faint noise and was surprised to be faced with a very awe stricken Ivy, staring at the knives with undeniable glee in her eyes.

Before he could say anything to her, she turned her small posture towards him, her hands entwined together.

"May I please watch you throw?" she asked politely and gave him a small, encouraging smile.

Gomez blinked in confusion at the violent change in her attitude. It's almost as if she suddenly forgot she was supposed to hate him and looked at him with an eager expression on her face.

"Sure," he said tentatively and threw another knife adding it to the straight line across the wall.

Next to him, Ivy jumped with delight, making him smile.

"Would you like to try?" he offered.

"Really, could I?" she asked, bewildered, before frowning at him."Miss Watson said throwing knives is not a good game for children. Mummy let me sometimes, but she doesn't really like it when I play with knives."

Gomez made a face like it's the most ludicrous thing he ever heard.

"I've got my first set of knives as a Christmas gift when I was about your age," he said, handing her one of the daggers and she accepted without a question.

"You have?"

"Yep," he confirmed getting himself in position before turning his head toward her and smiled when he saw her copying his stance."Ready?"

There was a faint swish, followed by the sound of two knives hitting the wall - Gomez's in the straight line with the others and Ivy's just under.

"You've done this before," he said appreciatively and saw her nod eagerly."You're quite excellent."

"You really think so?" she asked hopefully, obviously delighted with his opinion.

"Definitely."

"But you're so much more excellent!"

"It's just a matter of practice," he explained encouragingly."Here, try another one."

He watched his daughter grin at him in a such a sweet, delightful manner he almost fell apart at his seams, yet she didn't take the knife he offered. Instead, she dipped her little hand to the brown, paper bag she was holding and presented him with that soft, light-brown sweet Morticia's mother made for her. What were they called?

"Would you like some fudge? They're delicious," she offered encouragingly and Gomez had no choice but to accept.

"Sure, thank you," he said jovially and popped the sweet into his mouth. He immediately wished he didn't as the revoltingly sweet flavour filled his mouth and he had an overwhelming urge to spit it out. It took all of his willpower to swallow it.

"Do you like it?"

"It's delicious," he lied, desperately wishing for something to drink to wash down the unbearable sweetness, but Ivy smiled at him happily at took the knife he offered before throwing it against the wall.

And just like that, what this very morning seemed to him an impossible situation.

What just minutes before caused him a maddening heartache, resolved itself without any drama, in the simplest, the most ordinary of ways - just as his wife told him it would.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It was already a late afternoon before Morticia and Aurora were finally able to make their way home. The trip to the Council took way longer than Morticia expected, but ultimately it was all done and her transfer was agreed to be finalised by the end of the week.

She still wasn't particularly fond, to put it mildly, of the head of the department of the Natural Sciences, a dislikable fellow with an annoying air of self-importance, who was constantly smiling at her condescendingly and was particularly delighted to let her know that, despite Morticia's stellar academic records, it way ultimately the fact that she was being a relative of Aurora Addams that sealed the deal.

"Pay no mind to that pretentious idiot,"Aurora said as if guessing her thoughts when they entered the car."Even without being my niece, your application is simply outstanding."

"Thank you," Morticia gave her a small smile as she leaned against the car seat."I'm certain, though, that being your niece didn't hurt."

"It helped speed things up, that's all,"Aurora said dismissively with a careless wave of her bony hand and then, to Morticia's unbridled surprise, squeezed her hand affectionately."The truth is, you're a brilliant witch and any institute in the world would be delighted to have you."

"You're too kind,"she smiled."I fear, though, that you're vastly overestimating my abilities. It's rather a result of a zealous diligence than brilliance,"she added honestly, but Aurora only shook her head good-naturedly. It was the truth, though, only Morticia really knew how much effort it took for her to be on the top of her academic work; how many sleepless nights and how many instances when she was genuinely tempted to throw her text books out of the window and cry out of the sheer tiredness and frustration.

"You might not have noticed,"Aurora said, arching her thin eyebrow."But I have lived for quite a damn long time now and I can certainly recognize a brilliant witch when I see one,"she praised, before adding for a good measure."I would not waste a minute of my precious time on you, if I thought otherwise."

Morticia laughed then and looked at the old lady affectionately, deeply touched by such praise coming from her lips.

"Thank you,"she whispered.

"Yeah, well, let's not get all mushy,"she said but there was unmistakable, ghostly smile gracing her thin lips.

* * *

Both ladies barely made it through the threshold of the Addams mansion before Morticia was swept from her feet by two strong arms.

"By God, what took you so long?"Gomez asked and without waiting for the reply attacked his wife's lips in a hot, demanding kiss."I missed you like crazy."

"Put her down, you idiot," the old lady groused in annoyance."She was away for a few hours, not a few damn years."

"Few hours without my sweet querida feel like centuries of unbearable solitude,"he replied passionately without releasing his hold on Morticia, who wrapped her arms around his neck happily, delighted to see him so jovial again.

She wondered if perhaps Ivy made a good on her promise to give him a chance, because he was simply radiating with happiness.

"I missed you too, mon amour," she replied, kissing him lovingly, the double meaning of her words not lost to either of them.

"How did your meeting go?"

"Well, apparently it took a healthy dose of nepotism, but they accepted my transfer,"she explained."I'm starting next week."

"Oh, nonsense!" Aurora interjected."I've already told you, you'd get accepted anyway. I just helped to speed things up. A polite thank you will suffice and let's speak no more of this nepotism gibberish."

"Thank you, auntie,"Morticia complied, barely taking her eyes off her husband.

Aurora groaned and almost rolled her eyes at the couple's newlyweds affections.

"I'm just gonna go and find Eudora, you two love-sick fools are making me lose my appetite,"she complained and made her way towards the kitchen, eager to get away from the amorous couple as fast as her old legs allowed her to. "And where is that little girl of yours? I wish to meet her, God willing she doesn't look like you."

Gomez only rolled his eyes good-naturedly and the pair continued to gaze at each other lovingly. Morticia grazed his cheek with her finger tenderly before smiling softly at her husband.

"You look very happy,"she commented carefully.

"How can I not be when you're in my arms, querida?"He asked nuzzling her neck. "By the way, your sister was here today," he added and watched her blink in surprise.

"Ophelia?"

He regarded her with an amused look.

"You have any other?"

"Ha ha,"she swatted his arm playfully.

"She came here in the morning heartbroken and devastated,"he explained.

"Oh no, poor thing,"she commented."Did they discontinue another beauty product?"

"Nope, she and Itt broke up again,"he explained and smiled when his wife rolled her eyes affably.

"They're breaking up at least once a week."

"This time for good, though"her husband countered."Apparently, Itt left to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a stewardess."

"Can't he do that here?" she asked, slightly confused by the reason. "Surely, there is plenty of airlines to choose from."

"Nah, he always complained the safety rules are too strict here," Gomez explained. "He went to India."

"Oh, that's certainly an unexpected choice,"his wife commented."Why, with all that heat, it's going to be quite unbearable for him."

"You know him, he likes good fun."

His wife nodded before regarding him thoughtfully.

"I better call Ophelia, she must be really devastated."

"She's fine, I've already talked to her," he explained and watched, with growing amusement, as his wife's eyes widened in surprise before she regarded him suspiciously.

"You what?"

"I talked to her," he grinned.

" _You've_  consoled your crying, hysterical sister-in-law?"she clarified, apparently still unconvinced she heard him correctly.

"All by myself and over a cup of henbane tea,"he confirmed proudly.

"You don't know how to brew a henbane tea," she pointed out, raising her elegant eyebrow sceptically.

"She brew it,"he admitted before adding in a boastful manner." But  _I_ listened to her attentively and offered a carefully chosen words of consolation."

"Awww, aren't you a darling,"his wife praised, kissing him softly before whispering deliciously against his lips."You must certainly be rewarded."

He growled his agreement at her suggestive tone, attacking her pale throat with a myriad of hot kissed.

"Let's go to the bedroom."

"Now?" she laughed, but didn't resist.

He only grunted affirmatively, already making his way up the stairs.

* * *

"We're going to be late for dinner,"Morticia commented in a rather unconcerned tone as they both laid naked on the bed, snuggled against each other. Their skin still glistening with faint sweat and their breaths uneven, basking in a lazy, post-coital afterglow."Again."

"That's for certain, because I'm about to make love to you again,"he confirmed, sneaking his hand to caress her naked hip, eliciting a soft laugh out of her.

"Gomez…"

"Mmmmm?"

"How did it go today?"she asked gently and was glad to see her husband smile happily.

"Good," he admitted."Actually, better than good, Tish."

"I'm glad to hear that,"she said with an undeniable relief and smiled at him contentedly."I was really worried about you, darling."

"I know,"he whispered."But we've spent a whole afternoon together before father took her for a stroll in the graveyard."

"Really?"she asked, genuinely surprised.

He nodded happily.

"I graduated from Mr Addams to Gomez, so that must count for something,"he quipped.

"It certainly must," she agreed with a gentle laugh.

"Whatever talk you've had with her, it seemed to have worked a charm,"he said, looking at her pointedly.

"Were you eavesdropping, Mr Addams?"she asked, narrowing her eyes in a mock suspicion.

"No,"he kissed her nose."But I doubt she suddenly had a change of heart without some kind of incentive from you. She likes you a great deal."

Morticia smiled gently and snuggled closer to him.

She thought briefly about recounting him their conversation but ultimately decided against it. Her husband felt very guilty about this situation as it was. She doubted the would be any benefit in letting him know that his daughter thought he didn't want her around.

Gomez smiled back and looked at her lovingly.

"Thank you for being there for me, cara,"he whispered tenderly."I know it's not easy...I know  _I_ wasn't easy to be around those last few weeks," he added, knowing full well that it was probably one of the most understatements of the century. He was nothing less than unbearable at times.

"That's what wives are for,"she joked lightly, caressing his cheek.

"I don't know how would I have handled all this if it weren't for you,"he admitted seriously."You are more amazing than you realize and I'm so grateful to have you, querida mia."

"Ok,"she whispered."Now, you're embarrassing me."

"Oh, you better get used to that,"he teased, pushing her gently on her back and climbing on top of her."Because I'm going to worship your gloriousness for the rest of my happily miserable life."

Morticia let out a gentle laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck before whispering against his lips:

"Hmmm, I think I can most certainly live with that."

* * *

When the couple finally made it downstairs, the rest of the family were already halfway through their evening meal and barely spared them any look.

Gomez gallantly helped his wife to her chair before taking his place at the top of the table opposite his father and noticed, curiously, that both of his parents wore vastly amused expressions.

Ivy, surprisingly, chose to sit next to Aurora, instead of her customary space next to her grandfather, and was staring intently at the old lady with wide open, curious eyes.

"Your mother never told you it's rude to stare?" Aurora said finally in a tone that was somewhere between highly annoyed and lightly amused.

"Did you know you look like a real witch?"the little girls piped up before adding promptly."Ma'am."

"That's because I am a witch,"the old lady replied, picking gently on her marinated lizard.

"No, you're not,"Ivy giggled."Witches aren't real."

"What nonsense,"Aurora huffed."Of course we are. I'm a witch, so is you grandmother and so is Morticia."

"You're funny."

"I'm not jesting, child,"Aurora retorted sternly, turning to the youngest Addams."What do you think is your grandmother brewing every day in that  _cauldron_?

"I dunno...stuff,"Ivy answered between a mouthful of food with an unconcerned shrug of her bony shoulders.

"Magic potions perhaps?"

Ivy narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, touching her finger to her lips and let out a serious hmmmmm.

"Can you show me a magic trick then?"

Aurora practically scowled as if deeply offended at the very idea.

"You want magic tricks go to the circus," she retorted."I'm not a clown."

"Even a tiny, little trick?"Ivy pressed, raising her thumb and forefinger into horizontal lines in a gesture indicating how tiny the magic trick may be.

"Such as?"Aurora replied and Gomez could swear she was trying very hard not to smile.

"Well… you can refill my bag with fudge, 'cos it's almost all gone," she said with a cheeky grin, pointing at the nearly empty, brown paper bag at the table in front of her.

"Ivy…"her grandmother exasperated voice reverberated from the other side of the table.

The little girl has been munching on this revolting sweet for days now, ever since Hester thought it would be a good idea to send her home with a week supply on this brown nightmare.

Ivy fell into a vicious circle of eating it until she felt sick and then complained of a tummy ache for hours before having a go at another bag. Even now, she was furtively - or so she thought, munching on it between bites of her dinner almost making her grandmother green with disgust.

"What? It's simple enough...unless she's not a real witch," she pointed out with a mean smirk.

"What an insolent girl," Aurora muttered and with one last scowl returned to her meal.

"It's rude to call people names," the little girl retorted and Salvador couldn't help but snicker before promptly covering it with a strangled cough when Aurora shot him a vicious glare.

"Okay,"Ivy continued."Let's say  _you're_  a witch but Tish just can't be a witch.".

"And why is that?"

"Because,"the little girl smirked before explaining like it was the most obvious thing in the world."Witches are supposed to be mean and ugly...like you!"she exclaimed happily." You look like a real witch. Tish is kind and gentle and beautiful like a princess, isn't she, Gomez?"

Gomez grinned, vastly amused by the exchange but before he could reply his great aunt interjected sternly.

"Why, on earth, are you calling your father by his first name?"

"'Cos that's his name,"she replied unconcernedly.

"Well, that will absolutely not do, you should call him father,"she insisted but the little girl shook her head vigorously.

"No, I don't like that," she said."Gomez sounds nicer."

Aurora turned sharply towards Gomez, pointing at him with her bony finger.

"Gomez, this child is obviously in a desperate need for a parental discipline."

"Ah, she can call me whatever she wants, I don't mind," he replied, in an utterly unconcerned tone, giving the little girl a wink.

"Obviously, you can't provide it since you're also in a desperate need of one," his aunt observed before turning directly to Salvador and the older Addams knew what was coming before she even delivered her assessment."You've done a terrible job raising him."

* * *

It turned out that the abrupt end to the hostilities between father and daughter meant the start of a new era in which Ivy discovered that she could wrap Gomez Addams around her little finger with an ease of a frog catching a fly and Gomez was all too happy to shamelessly spoil the little girl.

"Really, Gomez?"his mother arched her brow in a sceptical manner as she watched Ivy unpack her latest gift from her father. The little girl let out a scream of delight."A bow and arrows?"

"What?" he asked, genuinely baffled by his mother's scepticism."Look, she loves it,"he said pointing at Ivy who was now jumping up and down with excitement.

"I  _do_  love it, thank you so much!" she exclaimed and threw herself at him, wrapping her thin arms around his neck and he picked her up effortlessly. He thought she couldn't have weighed more than a bag of feathers.

"See?" he pointed out to his mother with a self-satisfying smirk.

"The manufacturing age says eighteen and up," she pointed out but her son barely gave out a careless shrug.

"So?"

"She's barely five."

"Oh, that's just rough guidelines."

"This thing is bigger than her,"she insisted."You should buy her something designed for children - a battle axe, for example."

"Nah, she'll grow into it," he said dismissively, grinning at his daughter."Won't you, little spider."

"Yes!" the little girl exclaimed."Can we try it out?"

"Of course!"

"You have to learn to say NO to her, Gomez," Eudora said, shaking her head exasperatedly.

"No, no you don't,"Ivy countered immediately with a vigorous shake of her head before taking his face in both of her hands and making unbearable puppy eyes at him."I love your gifts!"

Gomez grinned at her and placed a soft kiss of her forehead.

"Let's go try it out,"he suggested picking the bag with arrows while still balancing the little girl on his hip.

"Yay!"

"Does Morticia know about this?" his mother asked.

"Of course she does,"he confirmed, taking the bow off the desk before adding."It was her idea."

* * *

Morticia stifled a yawn, that was threatening to escape and picked up the small bottle with argan oil, carefully tilting it above her palm until the sleek substance poured lazily from its confinement and onto Morticia's pale hand. She rubbed the oil in between her palms before gently rubbing it into her long, ebony tresses.

She felt so damn tired, even though it's been barely two weeks since she started school. However, those two weeks taught her that there's a whole world of difference between the time in Paris, where her only concern was her studies and studying while at the same time trying not to neglect her husband and also tending to a little child. Although, the little girl turned out to be more understanding about Morticia's lack of time than her father who wasn't at all pleased when his wife had to study in the library late into the night.

She looked into the corner of her cracked mirror, where it reflected her husband that she has been discreetly observing, half-worried half-amused, for the last couple of minutes.

He was laying on the bed, book in his hand, reading...or rather attempting to read because he hasn't turned a single page for the last five minutes. Every few seconds he would look up at her, go back to his book, tap the hardback of the volume absently and bite his lips. He looked tense and she frowned at the thought. She didn't know what could possibly occupy his mind that would cause such state.

Indeed, for the past two weeks, his relationship with Ivy only grew stronger, they spent a lot of time together while Morticia was at school or practice with Aurora and the little girl seemed delighted with the sheer variety of games her father could come up with. They even started on a project together - a torture device Ivy thought of that she could use on Lumpy.

Admittedly, her husband was a bit grumpy about the amount of time his wife had to spend on her studies and magic practice, but since there was very little she could do about it, the subject was eventually dropped.

"Something on your mind, my love?"she asked gently, smiling at him through her reflection in the mirror.

"I've been thinking…"he started tentatively.

"Dangerous past time,"Morticia teased goodnaturedly from her position at her dresser, pleased when it elicited a gentle laugh out of him.

"How inconvenient would it be for you to take two days off from school next week?"he asked and didn't take it as a good sign that his wife winced instantly at the question.

Morticia bit her lips into a thin line. Taking any time off now would be highly inconvenient since it was mere fifteen days before All Hallows Eve, which was the busiest time for the witches, especially dark ones. Not to mention, the spirits of all kinds were particularly active, hence Aurora wanted to use that opportunity to practise summoning the demons and she will not be pleased, to put it mildly, if Morticia wanted to take days off.

"Very,"she admitted.

He nodded and looked away briefly before looking back at her

"I want to go to California next weekend,"he said carefully."Get it out of the way before Halloween.I talked to that social worker, she said she'd arrange the visiting. Apparently, she knows the doctor in charge of Becky's treatment pretty well."

Morticia nodded understandingly but felt a brief flash of annoyance at his semi-affectionate reference to Ivy's mother, even though she knew he didn't mean anything by it. She knew very well that there was never any romantic feelings between them to make her feel even remotely threatened, she wasn't jealous per say but the very thought of  _that other woman_  - for the lack of better description, made her feel...well, uncomfortable.

She almost rolled her eyes at how ridiculous it was. How petty. How utterly unlike her.

"Is she still not allowed visitors?"

"No, apparently her initial detox had to be repeated and she still refuses to participate in therapy," he explained."I will know more when I speak to her doctor."

Morticia stood up gracefully and made her way towards the bed. She smiled, watching her husband's appreciative stare as she removed her robe, throwing it gently at the foot of the bed, and crawled slowly towards him.

"This is going to sound pathetic,"she warned, curling against him."But do you really have to go? I can't bear the thought of being away from you."

He smiled at her, pleased with her admission because he felt exactly the same way.

"It's killing me to even think about it, querida," he said, placing a loving kiss to her silky hair."I wouldn't go if it wasn't necessary, I swear."

"I know," she said and really hated how pathetically miserable her voice sounded.

She heard the book hit the wooden floor and mere seconds later her husband rolled them both over so that she was nestled firmly in his arms.

"Ask Aurora to sign the leave of absence for you, I can't be without you for so long, I'll go insane."

"Gomez, I can't,"she said regretfully."She arranged that transfer for me, we've barely started classes, I can't possibly ask for leave now."

Gomez bit his lips thoughtfully. He wanted her to go with him desperately, not only because he will miss her like crazy, which he will, but he  _needed_  her there with him.

"I'll ask,"his wife's gentle voice broke the silence."But I can't promise anything good will come out of it."

"I know," he smiled at her."But it's worth a try, I really want you to come with me."

She smiled and smoothed his back hair gently.

"I love you so much,"she said softly, wrapping her willowy arms around his neck as she brought his lips down for a gentle kiss.

"Love is not enough to describe how I feel about you, querida,"he whispered before placing a loving kiss on her ruby lips ."My heart is beating only for you. I would die for you, I would kill for you."

"Mmmmm, either way mon cher, what bliss."

* * *

The very first time Morticia visited the Council building, she was rather dismayed by its modern look. European Councils were usually located in enticingly old, often rundown buildings where the only way to get in was to know the spell that would open their doors. Sure, it was very old-fashioned and perhaps a bit ostentatious, but Morticia loved it.

American Council, however, was located at the heart of the financial district of the city, just under the very noses of the general public, surrounded by the tall, all - glass skyscrapers much like the Council building itself. A big, golden sign at the entrance said AMERICAN COUNCIL OF WITCHCRAFT and Morticia was initially nothing less but flabbergasted by their audacity, but Aurora assured her that it worked beautifully. People around here were so preoccupied with their own work that they paid little if any attention to what's around them at all. Those few individuals who did usually thought the Council was a sect for some end of the world nutters and weren't very surprised by the array of rather eccentric-looking individuals that entered the building each day.

Indeed, whereas Morticia was accustomed to the usual curious looks people regarded her with on a daily basis, nobody around here spared her more than one look.

Nevertheless, she'd gladly be dealing with the stares of the curious people any day than the one that was currently bestowed upon her by her hundred-and-four-year-old tutor slash aunt.

Morticia came to her office early in the morning, before her classes started, to ask her about the possibility for two days of leave of absence to go to California and well...to say that Aurora Addams wasn't pleased was one of the biggest understatements of the century.

She didn't answer immediately, but was staring at Morticia for the last three minutes, drumming her bony fingers against the polished wooden surface of her desk until Morticia had an overwhelming urge to squirm under her piercing gaze.

"Have you lost your Goddamn mind?"she finally said.

"I know it's inconvenient, but it's only two days."

"It's not mere two days, not at this time of the year."

"I know,"she admitted somewhat sheepishly."But it's really important to me."

"This is nothing Gomez cannot handle on his own,"she countered."He shouldn't have put you in that situation, he knows how busy you are."

"Yes, but I…" Morticia bit her lips. There was really nothing she could say to that. Nothing that she would like to say out loud, anyway.

"This isn't an emergency that would justify taking a leave of absence."

 _The truth is that I love my husband so much I can't bear to be separated from him, not now, not ever, not even for a day, I barely make it through the few hours we're away from each other every day._ Oh, God, even in her own mind it sounded pathetic.

"Gomez doesn't handle such situations very well," Morticia said instead."If he feels he needs me to be there, then I want to be there for him."

Aurora took a deep, exasperated breath before taking off her spectacles and pinching the space between her eyes.

"Morticia, sit down,"she asked in a tone Morticia often used with Cleopatra when she misbehaved and she had a sudden urge to simultaneously laugh and swallow heavily at what was coming as she took a seat in front of Aurora's desk. "The study of The Dark Arts is a lifetime commitment."

"I know that."

"In theory perhaps," the older lady interjected."What it means in the real life are situations such as this one - when you have to choose between being there for your family and your work commitments. Are you going to drop everything every time Gomez has a whim?"

"He's not being capricious," Morticia defended.

"He might as well be," Aurora replied."You're a Dark Witch with an enormous potential, but no matter how talented you are you can't just dabble in the Dark Arts, everything you learn now will later mean the difference between life and death - yours."

"I'm not dabbling," Morticia stressed, almost offended by the very idea.

"You were given that transfer because your work convinced the council that you're worth the exception, don't start proving them wrong,"Aurora chastised.

"I'm worth it," Morticia countered firmly."I'm so grateful for this opportunity, I would never waste it. I know it puts you in an uncomfortable situation but please try to understand... Gomez is everything to me. I don't want him to think he comes second to anything."

"This isn't how life works, Morticia," Aurora explained patiently."I know my nephew very well. Gomez is larger than life character, if he wants something he'll pursue it relentlessly until he gets it. It's easy to get subdued and overwhelmed in his company if you don't know where to draw the line."

"What're you saying?"Morticia narrowed her eyes and couldn't help the irritation that swept through her at Aurora's insinuation."That what Gomez really wants is for me to give it all up for him?"

"He loves you more than mere words can describe and he would do anything for you, that's obvious,"she explained."But he's also very possessive in his love, he doesn't like sharing you with anyone and with anything."

"Yes, that's true,"she agreed."But you're not taking into account the other side of it."

"Which is?"

"That no matter how possessive my husband may be, my happiness matters to him the most," she explained."As much as his to me; and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that if our situations were reversed, he would drop everything to be there for me."

"Would he now?"

"Yes, and I want to do the same for him," she continued serenely."That doesn't mean I don't care about my studies, because I do very much. But it can never take priority over my husband."

The old lady regarded her thoughtfully for few good minutes.

"So,"she finally said."If it ever came to a choice between being a witch and being a wife…"

"There will never be such a choice," Morticia interjected."I am both, there's no conflict here and Gomez would never ask me to choose."

"No,"Aurora agreed."He'd never do that. Life, however, may one day force you to do just that," she added knowingly and without waiting for Morticia's answer took a piece of paper out of the drawer and scribbled on it."I shall authorise those two days as a request for a personal time, but not as an emergency. That means you'll be marked as absent and it'll be your personal responsibility to catch up on any missed material, understood?"

"Thank you," Morticia said with an undeniable air of relief.

Aurora nodded in acknowledgement but it was clear that she wasn't very pleased with the whole situation.

After several minutes of silence in which Aurora busied herself with the paperwork, Morticia assumed she was allowed to leave and stood up slowly, making her way towards the door. She was about to press the handle when Aurora's stern voice broke the silence.

"Morticia," she said and almost smiled as she watched the younger woman's posture turn rigid and she turned slowly towards her. "Do not make a habit of it. We're walking on a thin ice here as it is. I can't do any personal favours to you, they watching you very closely."

Morticia nodded solemnly.

"I understand,"she said."This won't affect my performance, I promise."

Aurora allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

"I know,"she said and Morticia was relieved to notice a warmer note to her tone. "Now off you go, you certainly don't want to be late for your classes."

* * *

"Oooh, it feels like a slime,"Ivy grinned at her grandmother as she dipped her little fingers into a mouldy, green dough inside a metal bowl.

"Tastes like one too,"Eudora replied with a grin of her own."That's your father's favourite cookies, when he was your age he used to sneak out in the middle of the night to steal them from a cookie jar."

"I do that too!"Ivy replied excitedly before adding sneakily."But my mum never caught me."

Eudora laughed at her enthusiasm and sprinkled some more saffron onto the dough.

"Well, the only reason I found out about it is that one day Gomez's granny put the cookie jar on the highest shelf, so that little rascal couldn't reach it,"she reminisced."But of course that didn't stop him, he had climbed to the very top shelf but before he could grab at the jar the whole thing came crashing down."

Ivy snorted mockingly.

"Amateur,"she commented eliciting a hearty laugh from her grandmother.

"Who are you calling an amateur?"the voice next to her ear uttered, making Ivy scream in surprised freight and she almost dropped the bowl.

"Daddy!"she exclaimed covering the bowl with her arms."You scared the heck out of me! Go away, we are making secret, surprise cookies for you."

Gomez's eyes widened and he turned his head sharply towards his mother who looked at him with the same surprised expression before they both grinned at each other in delight.

"Are those mouldy pumpkin cookies?"he asked, peering through her skinny arms that barely covered the bowl, trying his utmost not to make a big deal of the fact that his daughter just called him daddy.

"No, I'm not telling, go away,"her muffled voice replied.

"All right," he agreed with a gentle laugh."But I came to let you know that grandpa just found a truly lovely snake -"

"-what!"the little girl exclaimed snapping her head up and jumping off the chair almost smashing the bowl off the table. She darted upstairs without sparing a single look at either of them or washing her hands from a sticky dough.

Gomez laughed contentedly, dipping his finger in a greenish dough before placing it in his mouth.

"Mmmm, tastes like slime,"he commented appreciatively, making his mother smile affectionately, before his eyes landed on a white envelope on the table."What's that?"

"It's from the local school,"she explained casually."They want Ivy to attend as soon as she can."

Gomez made a face of an utter contempt.

"What the hell can she learn at school that she can't learn at home?"he asked in annoyance.

"Nothing,"his mother replied succinctly and started to knead the dough Ivy abandoned just minutes ago."But it might be a good idea anyway."

"Are you serious?"

"She needs to spend time with children her own age,"his mother explained calmly but her son only grunted in reply."By the way, guess who's hosting this year's Addams Halloween party?"

"Who?"he asked and watched his mother's lips curl into a mean smirk. He narrowed his eyes and for some reason had a sudden urge to crawl under the nearest rock."Not-"

"- Matilda and Harold Addams,"Eudora confirmed with a vicious smile."The invitation arrived this morning, with a little side note about how eager your dear aunt is to meet your precious daughter."

"I'm sure she is,"he commented sarcastically.

"Well, there's no surprise here really. After all, family gossips  _are_  Matilda's favourite form of entertainment,"his mother grinned at him before continuing."And you, my dear son, have been her sure and constant supply of them for years."

"Mama, please."

"And now, barely married -,"she continued dramatically.

"-this isn't funny."

"-and lo and behold - a  _secret_  love child."

"-we're not going."

"It's Christmas come early for Matilda Addams,"she finished with a vicious grin at her son who groaned in defeat.

* * *

Morticia Addams stood in the conservatory, her body language rigid, arms crossed against her chest, stern look gracing her beautiful features. She was so utterly over this juvenile behaviour.

"I don't care who started it,"she said with undeniable frost in her voice."I'm ending it right now."

Cleopatra and Thing both bowed sheepishly under their mistress icy demeanour.

"I don't want any fights while I'm away, is that clear?" she asked and the plant and the decapitated hand shook in confirmation."Not a leaf out of place, not a scratch, nothing,"she added and waited for another shake."Good, I'm glad we understand each other. Now shake hands...or ehm," she said and waved her hand in a circular motion o help her come up with the words."Limbs, vines..."

Cleopatra reluctantly extended one of her spiky vines towards her greatest nemesis and Thing with even greater reluctance lift his pinky to lightly touch the vivid green of one of Cleopatra's leaves.

Morticia closed her eyes briefly and shook her head in an exasperation.

"I swear you two…"she muttered in an exasperated tone. Thing drummed his fingers gently against the table and she turned towards him."Yes, Thing you may go."

She barely finished the sentence before Thing scuttered away faster than his fingers could take him. He really didn't like when Morticia caught them fighting...she was really terrifying when she was angry. He will have to think of more suave ways of torturing that carnivorous monster, sorry excuse for a plant.

Morticia sighed and picked up the crystal bowl with Cleopatra's breakfast. She was about to feed the plant with another piece of hamburger when a pair of hands sneaked around her waist and followed by a low growl as her husband buried his face in the crock of her neck.

"Gomez darling, I'm trying to feed Cleopatra,"she scolded half-heartedly. She absolutely loved when he did that.

"You're so beautiful, Tish, I just can't get enough of you,"he whispered between the kisses."Let's go upstairs."

To his unbridled joy, she put the bowl away and turned in his arms, wrapping her pale, lace-clad arms around his neck.

"We've made love just this morning,"she pointed out, but captured his lips in a soft kiss eliciting a low moan out of him.

"Seems like ages ago,"he replied, already pushing her against the windows.

"It's not even ten o'clock yet."

"You see my point,"he retorted, placing a myriad of wet kisses along her collarbone while sneaking his hand to her breast and smirked when her breath hitched.

She captured his face between her hands and their lips met in another ardent kiss, all tongues and teeth as they soft moans reverberated throughout the silence of the conservatory.

"What are you guys doing?"a small, confused voice piped out behind them.

"Kissing,"Gomez mumbled without releasing a hold on his wife's irresistible lips but decently removed his hand from her cleavage.

"Ewwww, that's gross."

"Morticia doesn't seem to think so," he grinned before turning to his daughter.

She was still in her pink, unicorn pyjamas. Her hair tousled from sleep as she was glaring at him with those half-lidded eyes.

"What?"he asked."Married couples kiss."

"In their rooms maybe."

"In  _all_ rooms,"he said passionately before suddenly taking Morticia in his arms, dipping her precariously low and placing a firm kiss to her irresistible lips.

"This's just so embarrassing," the little girls mumbled, covering her face with her hands and swiftly turned on her heels before bellowing:"Grandmama, Tish and Gomez are  _kissing_ in the conservatory, do something it's gross!"

* * *

Jamie Stevens has been the porter at Chateau Marmont for the last two years and has seen his fair share of eccentric, rich people but, he had to admit, that Mr and Mrs Addams absolutely took the eccentric to a whole new level.

While jolly Mr Addams looked like someone taken directly from the Victorian period tea party, his wife was a curious mixture of a breathtakingly beautiful gothic princess and a spooky vampiress. He never seen someone so pale in his life, he caught himself checking if she was actually breathing until he realized that perhaps staring at her cleavage with her husband next to her might not be the best course of action.

"A penthouse, darling?"

Gomez grinned at his wife as they entered the vast, luxurious space of the top floor penthouse at the chateau he booked for them.

"Comfort is everything, cara mia,"he said wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hmmm be careful, mon cher, your privileged and sheltered upbringing is showing,"she teased and smiled when he let out a low growl and started peppering her arm with soft kisses."It must have cost a fortune."

"You deserve the world,"he murmured between kisses.

"I'm confident you'll be very comfortable here, madam,"the porter assured."It's very quiet and private, just as Mr Addams requested. There're a formal dining room and two private patio terraces,"he added pointing in the direction of the large balcony door.

"Oh, isn't that lovely," Morticia exclaimed softly as they stepped out into the patio surrounded by ornamental rose bushes, Gomez right behind her, still devoutly devouring the lace-clad skin of her arm.

"We've cut off all the buds as Mr Addams suggested,"the young man informed dutifully.

"Oh, aren't you a darling, my dear husband,"she praised, turning in his arms before placing a soft kiss on his smiling lips.

"I am,"he confirmed, pulling her closer against him."I should be rewarded,"he added suggestively against her lips, eliciting a soft laugh out of her. He reached to his pocket and took out a roll of banknotes, handing them to the porter without so much as a glance at the young boy, focusing solely on his beautiful wife."Thank you, my good man, that will be all."

Jamie's eye widened at the sight of the rolled bills and he gave them a hearty squeeze to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

He looked at the couple, who was now engrossed in a passionate kiss and paid no attention to him whatsoever and grinned in delight.

He was starting to have a whole new appreciation for the world of eccentrics.

* * *

Morticia stretched languidly on the king size bed where they have just spent the last few hours making love and were currently napping. She looked at her handsome husband and smiled contentedly. Despite the trouble it took to take those days off, she was grateful she let Gomez convince her to go with him, not that it took a lot of convincing, but it felt so good to be together, just the two of them, she missed that. There was something to be said about hours of uninterrupted quality time with her husband. Her legs were still shaking.

"Gomez,"she purred.

"Hmmm?"

"I'm hungry."

"Again, Tish?"he murmured suggestively without opening his eyes, his full lips curling into a self- satisfying smirk.

"Food hungry, Gomez," she clarified and laughed at his disappointed growl.

"Oh, that,"he opened his eyes and stretched before reaching for his cigar."Do you want to go out or shall we order a room service?"

"I don't think I can walk," she smiled at him before adding:"My insatiable husband made sure of that."

"Don't blame me, cara, it's not my fault you're so... delicious,"he said, biting the soft skin of her naked hip."Practically edible."

"Speaking of edible…"his wife reminded in an amused tone.

He groaned and reluctantly slid off the bed, dramatically making his way to pick up the room service menu.

"Oh, they serve one of my favourites,"he commented happily."Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru…"

"...food Gomez, go to the  _food_  section,"his wife sighed in a mock-exasperation.

"Yes, dear," he teased."Ok, roasted chicken, nah, pork chops...meh, Grilled New York Steak - that looks promising and will go nicely with Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru," he grinned. "Or I can send that young lad to get us something decent from the outside, like fried bat wings?"

"That young lad who was staring at my breasts?"she asked in an amused tone.

He turned his head sharply towards her.

"He was?"

She nodded.

"You'd have noticed if  _you_ weren't so busy staring at my breasts," she teased.

"I solemnly reject this blatantly unfair accusation, I'm a natural born gentleman," he deadpanned."I always look into your mesmerising eyes."

"Aha," she laughed."Just order the room service, I'm starving."

* * *

The room was covered with drawings, the rectangle papers were pinned carelessly to the walls, some scattered on the floor.

He noticed she still used the same technique, the one that first caught his attention, albeit it was much refined now, the strokes more confident, purposeful.

The figure sitting on the bed in the far corner of the room didn't look like the girl he met in the park six years ago. Gone were her long blond tresses. They were replaced by a short, pixie cut and bleached to a platinum white shade of blond. She was skinnier than he remembered. The grey tracksuit she was wearing seemed too big for her.

He didn't announce himself immediately, opting for watching her for a few moments as she sat crossed-legged on the bed, sketch pad resting against her tight, pencil in hand, frantically moving across the page. Her brow creased in a sudden contempt and she threw the pencil aside before scrunching the paper into a careless ball and throwing it across the room towards the trash without lifting her head.

Gomez watched the paper ball land a meter away from its target, resting among over a dozen similar balls scattered around the bin.

"You should really work on your aim,"he said humorously, finally deciding to announce himself.

Her head snapped in a sharp motion and her eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh fuck," she greeted him in an exasperated tone."I was afraid you're gonna show up at some point."

He cocked his head slightly, resting his body causally against the door frame.

"You thought I wouldn't?"

"I was secretly hoping,"she admitted,then, suddenly, as if struck by a sudden thought, she looked eagerly past him."Is Ivy with you?"

"No," he shook his head and watched her posture sag in disappointment."She stayed at home with my parents. I thought it would be better to meet just the two of us first,"he explained.

" And here I thought I wasn't allowed any visitors."

Gomez shrugged and entered the room. He took a place on the bed next to hers.

"Apparently,"he started with a small smile."As a father of your child I count as a family."

"Oh, great," she replied impassively.

"Sorry to disappoint you," he said, looking aimlessly around the room before admitting uncomfortably: "I don't really know where to start."

"Well, let me,"she said, taking a cigarette from the pack before adding sarcastically."Gee, good to see you Gomez, you haven't changed a bit. Whatever brings you to this shithole of a place?"

"This hostile tone is truly adorable,"he said, before reaching into his pocket to retrieve a lighter. "I appreciate your effort to make me feel so very welcome,"he flicked his thumb over the spark wheel of the lighter before adding testily." One would think you were the one who wasn't told you had a five-year-old daughter."

She glared at him before replying defensively.

"Well, sorry about that, I didn't think you'd care after you so unceremoniously left in the middle of the night."

"So what the hell was that? A punishment?" he asked sardonically.

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous," she replied calmly and took a slow drag of her cigarette. She looked away, staring absently at the barred window."It was humiliating enough to wake up alone, I wasn't going to humiliate myself any further by showing at your doorstep, telling you I'm pregnant."

"I had every right to know."

"Oh, sure and what would you do? You would marry me out of your deeply inherent sense of duty?"

"No,"he replied testily, getting progressively irritated by her hostile tone."But I would be there for you, I would support you."

"I've done just fine on my own."

"Yeah, I can see that,"he replied sarcastically."Growing up surrounded by drugs is what everyone always dreams for their children."

"Oh, get off you fucking high horse, Ivy never seen me taking drugs in her life,"she spat."I'd never do it in front of her."

"Oh, that's comforting."

"We're fine until that idiot thought it'd be a good idea to hide two bags of heroin in our kitchen cupboard and that damn social worker blew it out of proportions."

"Blew it out of proportions?" he asked incredulously."You've got a court order to be locked in this place, because the social worker blew it out of proportions?"

"Jesus, Gomez, it's California... _everyone_ takes drugs. It's a lifestyle."

"The hell it is."

She looked away and he watched her smooth her blond her in a frantic gesture.

"What do you want me to do? Apologise?"she asked sardonically."I'm not a perfect mum, I get that, I never claimed to be but I've done what I could. I love Ivy so much but this whole motherhood thing isn't easy. Ivy understands that."

Gomez frowned, not exactly sure what to make out of this confession.

"I didn't...you didn't strike me as a person who'd took drugs,"he admitted.

"Yeah, well I didn't seek them out, drugs found me," she replied with an ironic smile and took a slow drag of her cigarette."Look, I don't go over the top with it. It helps me."

"With what?"

"With everything."

"What kind of answer is that?"

She shrugged and said nothing.

Gomez took a deep breath and slid his hand over his shaved cheek in an impatient gesture, but didn't say anything. He shook his head and his lips curled in a mirthless smirk.

Here they were, two strangers bound together by a mistake.

Two, undoubtedly, most unsuitable people to parent anyone.

"So what now?"he asked finally."Where do we go from here?"

"I was hoping for getting out of this place as soon as possible, getting my daughter back and my life to return back to normal,"she smiled.

"Not an option,"he replied coldly.

"Yeah, see that's why I told that damn woman not to contact you," she commented angrily." She fucked everything up."

"I don't think it's the social worker who's to blame here," he said accusingly and Rebecca glared at him contemptuously.

"I don't remember you being such an asshole," she spat.

"It would help if you stopped being so... unreasonable," he pointed out, trying very hard not to grit his teeth in annoyance. "We have a daughter together, we have to work something out."

"You're welcome to have her on school breaks and summer holidays," she deadpanned.

"Which part of stop being unreasonable did you not understand?"

"What do you want me to say, Gomez?" she snapped."We live at the opposite corners of the country, I can't send her to you on weekends."

"I have the same right to be in her life as you," he retorted in the same manner.

"The hell you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

There was a sound of someone clearing their throat and they both looked towards the door.

"Is there a problem here, Becky?"the African-American woman asked politely but there was an unmistakable air of authority about her."I can hear you two at the end of the corridor."

Rebecca bowed her head down briefly and shook it gently.

"No, no problem," she said respectfully and pointed at Gomez."This is my...ehm...I mean this is Ivy's father."

"Oh," the woman said softly and entered the room before extending her hand towards him."Dr. Carina Vale, I'm one of the consultant-psychiatrist here."

"Gomez Addams," he shook her hand gently.

"Mr Addams, I know Dr. Afzal approved of this visit but I don't think this is exactly what he had in mind,"she pointed out coldly.

"My apologies, Dr. Vale, it wasn't my intention to cause any trouble," he said."Thing got a little out of hand."

"Yes, clearly," she agreed in a smooth tone."Well, why don't we cut this visit short, shall we? It doesn't look like it's going very well," she proposed and without waiting for either of them to reply, turned towards Rebecca."Becky, why don't you join your group outside? They're having some yoga sessions, it might do you some good."

Rebecca rolled her eyes but, to Gomez's surprise, got out off the bed and slipped her feet into her white sneakers carelessly.

"Fine," she agreed reluctantly before turning towards Gomez and adding sarcastically."It was a great fun, Gomez, we should do it again sometimes."

"Sure, don't forget to leave your attitude at home, though," he retorted immediately.

"Go to hell - "

"- ok, you two, that's enough," Dr. Vale interjected calmly."Becky, they're waiting for you."

Rebecca gave Gomez one last glare before purposely leaving the room.

"Mr Addams," Dr. Vale turned to him before adding smoothly."I'd like to have a word with you, if you don't mind."

Gomez couldn't help but smirk.

"Something amusing?"

"When my wife uses this kind of tone, it usually means I'm annoying the hell out of her," he commented fondly and the woman before him let out a gentle laugh.

"Well, you are perceptive, I give you that," she smiled gently at him before adding with more serious tone:"I know, your situation isn't exactly the easiest one, but I don't want you to threaten Rebecca with taking Ivy away from her."

"Do I really look like that kind of a bastard?"

"No, but when people are desperate they rarely think things through," she replied calmly."With her situation, you'd easily win the custody case but it certainly won't do her any good and it wouldn't help her recovery."

"I'd never do that," he insisted."But I have a right to be a vital part in my daughter's life and Rebecca acts like I'm being inconvenient."

"I agree with you, she's not the easiest person to deal with," she confirmed."But as you said, you have a little girl and, for her sake, you need to find a solution that works both ways."

Gomez didn't reply but nodded at her thoughtfully.

"There's another thing I wanted to speak to you about," she continued.

"What's that."

"We'd like Rebecca to have weekly phone-calls with Ivy, on whatever day suits you best,"she said before adding."She's not allowed visitors until she successfully completes her detox, but I think talking to her daughter would help to give her the right push."

"Okay, sure, we can do that."

"Good, thank you," she smiled warmly."Dr. Afzal will be in contact with you, he wanted to see you today personally but unfortunately he had to attend family emergency."

"I understand."

"It was good to meet you, Mr Addams," she said with an air of finality, indicating their conversation was over and extended her hand towards him."I hope you'll have more luck with Miss Howard next time."

Gomez took her hand and gave her a mirthless smile.

"I wish I could be so optimistic."

* * *

Morticia frowned at the tiny writing in the book and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She didn't understand why all books on the subject of the Dark Arts had such a tiny writing, as if all the authors were deliberately trying to blind their readers. And at this rate, Morticia was sure, she will be blind by the time she's thirty.

She looked at the bedside table where the clock was located and her eyes widened in surprise. No wonder she was starting to see double, she was studying for over three hours straight, her coffee sat on the table, cold and abandoned, as was her breakfast. She reckoned Mabel was right, she would just starve and perish without anyone reminding her to take a break and eat. Morticia marked the page she was reading with a pencil and closed the book with a loud snap.

She was going to move from the bed to start on her breakfast, or rather a really late lunch, when she heard the front door to the penthouse open and a second later close sharply. Morticia couldn't help but wince.

"I'm guessing it didn't go very well?"she commented lightly upon seeing her husband enter the bedroom.

"To put it mildly,"he said, dropping his suit jacket carelessly over the rim of the chair before flopping heavily on the bed next to her and placing a firm kiss on her lips.

"So..what did she say?"

"That I can have my daughter on selected school breaks and summer holidays,"he recounted sarcastically.

Morticia raised her shapely eyebrow at his tone.

"That doesn't sound very reassuring."

"Yeah, but on the other hand, we  _do_ live at the opposite sides of the country,"he admitted reluctantly to which she just grunted softly in agreement."She also basically called me a bastard and said I humiliated her when I left her in the middle of the night and she wasn't about to humiliate herself any further by showing up on my doorstep and announcing she's pregnant."

"Well, that's a bit unfair if understandable," she admitted.

"Apparently, I wasn't as clear about that one-night stand as I thought."

She didn't really know what to say to that so she just slid down on the bed to lay down beside him and placed a comforting kiss to his upper arm.

He smiled at her tender gesture and turned to wrap his arms around her.

"Remind me to be a Buddhist monk in my next life," he announced dramatically and she tilted her head, laughing heartily at the very idea."I'm serious, sex is evil," he insisted which only made her laugh harder.

He pinched her thigh cheekily but then looked at her as if struck by a sudden thought.

"You're wearing anything under that robe?"

"Gomez,"she laughed, swatting his arm playfully."Is this an appropriate question for a Buddhist monk?"

"I know, I'm a lousy monk" he admitted, his hand already sneaking to undo the sash of her robe."I need to see this glorious body hiding under this flimsy, little robe."

"You're incorrigible,"she sighed but didn't resist him. She knew he wanted a distraction and she saw no reason not to indulge him. She moaned softly when he placed a soft kiss on her hip bone and she slid her pale hand into his pomaded hair, tugging at it encouragingly.

"Yes, I should be punished,"he said hopefully, eliciting another soft laugh out of her.

"Yes,"she purred as he kissed his way up her bare stomach. She waited until his lips hovered just above hers before reaching for his belt and felt his breath hitch at the sinfully delicious look she graced him with."You definitely should be."

* * *

It was very late or rather ridiculously early, depends how one looked at it, yet Gomez Addams couldn't sleep. He kept replaying the conversation with Rebecca in his mind, trying to find a way he could find a common ground with her, a compromise of some sort. Most of the time he arrived at the conclusion that he wished he'd never met her, never slept with her, then this whole mess would've never happened but then immediately felt a surge of guilt, a stab in the heart so deep that he almost couldn't breathe. Wishing it'd never happened equalled to wishing he never had a daughter, wishing Ivy didn't exist.

God, was he really such a selfish bastard?

Yes.

No.

He wanted his daughter to like him, he wanted to be a good father to her. A father she deserved. A better father than he knew he was. He didn't want to be Gomez to her - he wanted to be an important part of her life, her father - not someone she would visit on summer holidays and school breaks. He longed to be called a father or daddy - as she once called him unwittingly. He wanted her to love him, he realized. He wanted it more than he was able to put into words.

And yet, how easy would be to just gave in to this impossible situation and let Rebecca keep her. To liberate himself of this responsibility. Nobody would blame him. Perhaps they would even praise him. How generous he was, how kind. And he knew, part of him perhaps wished to do just that.

God damn it all to hell. He really should just go to sleep.

He felt Morticia stir gently next to him and faltered as if afraid his thoughts would wake her up. He watched her roll over and snuggle against him and he couldn't help but smile. It never failed to simultaneously please and amuse him that she tended to fall asleep on her side with her back turned towards him but somehow he always woke up with her asleep in his arms.

He picked up a strand of her ebony tresses and twirled it gently around his fingers, marvelling at their softness. What would his wife do if she knew of those vile thoughts in his head? How much effort he really put to be the man she deserved instead of this despicable human being he really was? What would she think of him if he told her that he didn't love anyone the way he loved her. That he thought about her every minute of every day. He loved her infinitely and obsessively, she was the sole centre of his whole universe and he would die without her. He needed her more than he needed his next breath. How he longed, desperately, to claim her, to possess her, to mark her as his, yet knowing how agonizingly fruitless task would that be for possessing his dark mistress would be like possessing a ghost. Unachievable.

If she knew all that, would she still think him worthy of her love? She would think him a madman, he decided.

"Tish,"he found himself saying her name loudly before he could stop himself and felt her startle. She lifted her head sharply and looked at him, trying furiously to blink the haze of sleep from her eyes.

"What's wrong?"she whispered and turned to lay down on her back next to him, rubbing her eyes tiredly and frowned in confusion when he remained silent."Darling, are you all right?"

"I betrayed him,"he said finally."He left because I betrayed him."

"Who, my love?"she asked, not entirely awake yet to immediately realize what he's talking about.

"Fester," he clarified, turning to his side to face her and instantly her sleepy eyes became alert with attention."It was eight years ago, right after Christmas. He just returned from his six months trip to Europe and was the hit of the season, with his tales of vile adventures, despicable homicides, you name it. My parents were so proud, especially my father. He would show him off at every party, what a devious genius he was, truly atrocious - a dream of a son. And he really was...is,"he faltered before correcting himself."He has 110 volts of power in him, he would often amuse my mother by illuminating a light bulb just by putting it in his mouth. Women were all over him, listening to his stories and laughing at his insanely cheesy jokes," he reminisced fondly before adding gravely."And I was jealous, insanely jealous. I could never measure up to him, no matter what I did. I loved him and I hated him."

He stopped and looked at her for a few long seconds as if letting her digest his confession. She said nothing, her face expression, illuminated by the faint light outside, barely changed at all neither she made a move to touch him.

"He's terribly shy with women, very sensitive,"he continued."But I could tell, by the way he kept staring at them, that he liked them. The Amore Twins,"he clarified."And I knew they didn't care, though. They would go for either of us as long as they got the money and the Addams name attached to them. But all I wanted then was to hurt him, it didn't matter to me how," he said, his voice turning hoarse with emotions."So I seduced them, during the party, in my uncle's library where I knew he could easily find us - and he did. And I regretted this pathetic idea before anything even happened but I was too much of a coward, too proud to back out. I could not bear the thought of the rumors they might spread about me if I didn't go through with it," he admitted, looking straight into her eyes."And, at that time, it mattered to me more than what it would do to my brother. And he...he caught us just as they were...on their knees…,"he tried to explain but his voice cracked because he remembered, so vividly, his brother - Fester- barging in, as was his habit, into the room and just freeze dead in the spot. He could see his embarrassment, his heartbroken, devastated expression before he run off from the party."I didn't go after him and they...thought nothing of it, just looked at him - amused - and continued, as if nothing happened, and I let them. And I didn't even think to go after him because I was sure he will sulk for few days and will come back to give me hell...but he didn't, never again," he whispered hoarsely and closed his eyes, letting the tears fall freely down his cheeks, soaking the pillow under his head.

She thought her heart might shatter at the sight of him and she felt her eyes well up with tears. She couldn't think of anything to say, could barely comprehend what he was telling her. Torn between the sheer disbelief that he could do such an awful thing to his own brother and an overwhelming need to comfort him, to take this pain away from him but she just couldn't move.

"My mother was devastated, she cried for days and I just couldn't stand looking at her because I knew I was to blame,"he continued in a heartbroken tone."Even my father couldn't console her and eventually just retreated to the library and focused on his business. I never told them what I've done, I couldn't. I locked myself in the train room, until my mother went from being sick with grief over Fester to being sick with worry over me. But I just couldn't be around them, my parents, I couldn't face their grief. I couldn't stand how worried they were about me when it was me who destroyed the happiness of my family," he whispered and wiped his tears off furiously."That's why I didn't want to tell you. I wanted you to see me as a person I could become, instead of who I really was - a selfish, self-centred, despicable excuse for a son, a traitor. I was afraid that if you knew, you wouldn't want anything to do with me and I wouldn't blame you. I know I should have told you, you had every right to know and I wish I could tell you that I wouldn't keep it from you again but I would because, the truth is, I'd do everything to have you. Because, from the moment I first saw you, I knew I didn't want to live my life if you're not part of it... and I'm sorry, more sorry than I can tell, you deserve so much better."

The silence that descended upon them was so sickeningly overwhelming that he nearly forgot how to breathe. She didn't say anything, didn't move, silently trying to fully comprehend what he's just told her.

He waited few, agonizingly slow minutes until he could no longer bear it.

"Querida…"

"- you're not despicable," she interjected in a breathless whisper, her voice heavy with emotions."What you've done is horrible, it's disgusting."

He looked away in shame, his throat dry with apprehension.

"But you're not despicable, far from it,"she added tenderly and watched him look at her, his gaze hopeful yet uncertain."You're not despicable because I know you regret what you've done with every particle of your being and you'll never stop feeling guilty about it. I just wished you'd told me that before, that you'd trusted me to love you no matter what...but I understand why you didn't. I appreciate you telling me now."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered again.

"I know," she said and took his hand into hers before placing a soft kiss to its back."I love you,"she added and heard him release his breath in relief at her words."I'm proud and thankful to have you as my husband. You're far better than you think you are, than what your guilt tells you. I'll always love you, I'll always be there for you, no matter what."

He just stared at her. There were no words, in any language, to describe the ferocity of his feelings for her right now. There were no words to adequately describe how grateful he was for her, how he'll worship her forever, how she's his whole world and his only aim in life was to show her every day, for the rest of their lives how wonderful she was but he was just too overcome with emotions to say anything at all.

He leaned forward and took her firmly in his arms before capturing her ruby lips into his and pouring all he longed to tell her in a desperate, loving kiss, hoping she'll understand.

And she did.

* * *

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for all your comments and kudos - you are all precious! :)

**Chapter 10**

Gomez heard the commotion in the hall, that indicated Ivy was finally home and smiled eagerly at the prospect of seeing his daughter. He didn't realize how much he actually missed the little girl until he and Morticia arrived home in the late afternoon only to find out that Ivy was out shopping with Ophelia.

His sister-in-law jumped right in with an offer to babysit the moment Morticia mentioned their trip, despite the fact that Gomez's parents were perfectly happy to look after the girl for four days.

He didn't remember actually agreeing to Ophelia's babysitting Ivy yet somehow Hester and Ophelia decided it would be a perfect opportunity for a sleepover and Ivy was so excited at the prospect he didn't have the heart to refuse her.

He exited the library and immediately a flurry of pink connected with his legs.

Half-delighted, half-mortified he picked his daughter up and settled her on his hip taking one good look at her.

Her coat was pink.

Her dress was pink.

Her shoes and tights were pink.

"Gomez, you're back!" the little girl exclaimed happily and without waiting for his reply bowed her head at him. "Do you like my new hair clips? They are pink and they have daisies on them, aunt Ophelia bought them for me!"

"Beautiful,"he commented cheerfully, kissing the crown of her head tenderly before turning sharply towards his sister-in-law and regarded her with a vicious glare."I left her with you for four days and you've ruined her."

"Ha! Face it, Gomez, you fathered a child who has an intense love for pink,"she commented, crossing her arms against her chest. Her lips curled in a triumphant smirk.

His breath hitched in an unspeakable outrage at her words and then before he could stop himself...

"Tish, your sister is being mean to me!"he complained petulantly before turning back to Ophelia, narrowing his eyes."You're the worst sister-in-law in the history of humanity."

" _I'm precious_ and you know it,"she countered.

Gomez was about to reply when his darling wife entered the hall from the conservatory with a mildly bemused expression on her face and stopped dead on her tracks at the sight before her.

"Oh...dear,"she managed to mumble before Ivy jumped off her father's arms and run towards her excitedly.

"Look at me Tish, I'm  _all_  pink!"She exclaimed proudly, pirouetting in front of her.

"I can see that,"Morticia replied and smiled warmly at the child. She picked the little girl up and placed a soft kiss on her temple before turning to her sister with the same warm smile still attached to her face while summoning the most vicious glare in her repertoire but her sister only grinned at her obnoxiously.

"We've had the most wonderful time together, haven't we, you little pink ball of adorable?"

"Yes! We even painted my room  _all_ pink."

"You what?"Morticia and Gomez repeated together, looking at each other in panic.

"And we're going to paint spiders on it as well!" Ivy exclaimed excitedly.

"What?"Ophelia shrugged when they both glared at her."I'm mending my broken heart, ok? I need to keep myself busy otherwise I'd just throw myself off the cliff of despair."

"Why do you need to mend it in my house with pink paint?" Gomez complained.

"Why, darling,"Morticia interjected."What an insensitive thing to say. Whatever helps my sister get through these difficult moments we must support her."

"But Tish…,"he whined petulantly."Pastels in the Addams mansion?"

"Eudora doesn't mind and Ivy loves it,"his obnoxious sister-in-law interjected earning herself another glare.

"Are you telling me my own dear mother agreed to a pink room?"he asked in disbelief before muttering to himself."I leave for four days and the world goes mad."

"Grandmama said it's my room and I can paint it however I want to,"Ivy grinned at him wrapping her arms happily around Morticia's neck."I looked after Cleopatra when you were away," she added proudly.

Morticia smiled at her softly.

"Oh, aren't you a darling?"Morticia praised and placed a soft kiss on her little nose."That's most kind of you, thank you. We missed you."

"I missed you too…,"she replied happily before adding: "But not very much because I was very busy having fun with aunt Ophelia."

"You say the sweetest things."

"Anyway," Ophelia interjected before adding in a momentous manner."Since you're both here I need to speak with the two of you...privately."

Morticia and Gomez shared an amused look as they watched Ophelia make her way to the parlour without so much as a glance at either of them.

"Ivy, darling," Morticia turned to the little girl."Why don't you go find your grandparents, show them your new outfit."

"Okay!"

The little girl jumped off Morticia's arms and run in the direction of the kitchen leaving the two bemused adults in the hall.

* * *

"Ivy told me she overheard you two arguing before you left for California," Ophelia said with somewhat uneasy look on her face as Morticia and Gomez took their seats on the sofa in front of her."I mean look, I know this has been a stressful time and all but …" she started to continue but the look of total bafflement on their faces made her stop abruptly.

"Ophelia you must be mistaken,"Morticia retorted calmly."We didn't argue the other day or any day for that matter," she continued and looked at her husband with a loving smile, linking their hands together."We never argue."

"Sometimes we do,"her husband interjected, taking a short puff of his cigar, and grinned when his wife turned to him sharply.

" _Those_  weren't arguments,"she countered serenely.

"Oh? What do you call it then?"he asked, still grinning at her.

"Marital debates,"she deadpanned eliciting a hearty laugh from her husband.

"She was very upset,"Ophelia interjected rolling her eyes at them."She said you two were arguing in the library and that you,"she pointed at Morticia."Were crying,"she said and frowned when her brother-in-law started to laugh.

"Oh that!" Gomez exclaimed, finally realizing what she's talking about."We were not arguing, we were...ouch!" he winced when Morticia elbowed him sharply to his side. He looked at her in mild outrage but then noticed her pointed look.

Ophelia's gaze shifted from Gomez to Morticia and she narrowed her gaze suspiciously, realization suddenly dawning on her.

"Please don't tell me she overheard you fucking in a library," she said and looked at them accusingly but they didn't even have the decency to look sheepish. She got up with an exasperated huff and headed for the door but turned sharply just as she was about to press the handle and pointed her finger at then in an accusing manner."You two need a therapy,"she muttered and left the parlour. Closing the door sharply behind her for a good measure.

Morticia turned to her husband and looked at him with her eyebrow arched and an amused smile.

"Who would have thought that a day will come in which  _I_ will be reprimanded by  _my_  sister for having sex with  _my own husband,"_ she mused in disbelief.

"I know,"he agreed, gently pushing her down on the sofa, grinning at her as she laughed softly, before covering her body with his own and added, deadpan."You wanton."

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I don't recall any resistance from you," she pointed out before a thought occurred to her."Do I really sound like I'm crying when we…"

"I love the way you sound,"he murmured against her lips."Just thinking about it sets my blood on fire," he added kissing her irresistible lips lovingly.

Morticia was just about to surrender to his delicious cares when his head snapped up and he looked at her with bewilderment.

"Hold on a minute, just what in the devil was your sister trying to do here?"

Morticia narrowed her eyes, considering his question for a moment.

"Give us advice on how to handle marital fights?" she said slowly with an undeniable amusement coloring her voice, knowing exactly what he was going to say next.

"What the hell, Tish, she's butchered every relationship she's ever been in!"

* * *

One thing that really surprised Morticia about Aurora...scratch that... _one of_   _the things_  that really surprised Morticia about Aurora was how really Spartan-looking her apartment was.

Aurora Addams was a vastly opinionated and outspoken character with a particularly imposing personality who's always dressed with utmost elegance. Morticia fully expected her apartment to reflect that but, to her surprise, Aurora's apartment was practically bare; with the exception of a vast library that held an impressive, yet extremely eclectic selection of books - everything from magic textbooks to trashy romance novels, the apartment contained nothing of particular value. No paintings, no artefacts of any kind, not even a vase with dead flowers - nothing.

Morticia decided she should really cease in her quest to categorize the older lady in any way because every time she was sure she made and sound assessment, Aurora Addams would do or say something that would disprove any theory Morticia had about her.

"Any news from Russia?"Morticia asked, her voice laced with a mild concern when Aurora entered the study where Morticia was pouring over 'The Dark Arts: Classical Teachings in Modern Practice' for the last two hours.

Aurora huffed exasperatedly, shaking her head.

"We have extended our offer to help several times,"she said, taking her seat on her favourite armchair, close to the fireplace ."But Russians being Russians, thanked us for our concern and told us they're handling the situation. They'll probably wait until their ass is deep in a hot oil before admitting they've screwed up."

"Do we know what triggered those incidents?"Morticia prodded further, resisting an urge to roll her eyes at the explicit way the old lady expressed herself.

"Apparently, a very young, over-ambitious witch," she retorted calmly before explaining further:"There was a case of a demon possession in a village near Novosibirsk; but according to our sources, nothing a good exorcist priest couldn't handle. If that poor girl wasn't so eager to prove herself, she would still be alive and so would the others. Russians are not the greatest with managing their covens."

"Did she manage to extract the demon?"

"Oh, yes, it wasn't a very complicated case."

"Still, that was rather unthankful to kill her,"Morticia said with a mild annoyance.

"Very true," Aurora agreed."One never sees people with pitchforks going after an exorcist priest."

"Good old prejudice, I suppose,"Morticia replied."People still adhere to this nonsense about priests doing God's work, but witches are always spawns of the devil."

"What an absurd,"the old lady huffed ungainly."As if we're not all beings of the same Creator. A handful of dark witches go awry hundreds of years ago and the whole community is demonised - pun intended."

Morticia let out an amused laugh and shrugged.

"It's the human nature, I guess."

"Ah, screw that,"the old lady stated and smirked when Morticia flinched inadvertently upon hearing her swear. "Ready for the practice?"

The younger woman nodded, closing the heavy book and raised gracefully from her chair.

"I shall never get used to hearing you swear,"she proclaimed.

"And I find it hilarious."

"A hundred-and-four-year-old lady should not use profanities," she pointed out.

"Does my swearing offend your tender sensibilities?" the older lady snickered, rising slowly from the sofa.

"Very much so."

"Then you must know that I'm restraining myself severely in your company."

"I haven't noticed."

"You should hear what an amazing repertoire of profanities I possess in Russian - now, that's a language with proper obscenities, not this English fuckery you have" she mused as they made their way slowly towards the door and on their way to the Addams' mansion.

"No thank you," Morticia replied, shaking her head with an amusement.

"Are you sure? My Russian obscenities are quite magnificent, I'm very proud of them."

* * *

"It's ok, calm down, don't panic," Aurora appeased watching Morticia as she picked herself from the hard ground briskly, she could practically hear the younger woman rapid heartbeat."You've got this, just focus."

Morticia licked her, dry from apprehension, lips and closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her thoughts but her breathing was still erratic, her hands were shaking and her nose was bleeding.

She couldn't do it, she thought. It was too strong for her, too fast.

As if sensing her fear and lack of confidence, the creature lunged at her causing Morticia to lose her focus completely and within a split second she found herself thrown across the barren land so hard it knocked the breath out of her. She barely had time to register what happened when it pounced at her again, but this time she rolled over from the way just seconds before it hit her. Her lips started to mutter the curse before her brain could form a thought and the creature froze in the mid - lunge.

Morticia was only faintly aware of Aurora behind her, muttering the spell of her own and within seconds the demon dissolved into nothingness.

She could not help but breathe out in relief.

"Not bad,"the old lady commented with a slight tilt of her grey head."But your lack of confidence is what worries me."

"This is more difficult than I thought it would be," Morticia admitted breathlessly, wiping her damp forehead. God, her hands were shaking so much it was almost embarrassing.

She knew what to expect when dealing with the dark forces...well in theory at least. She read all there was about demons, she knew which spells to use, yet knowing all about them and being faced with one was a whole different experience. She didn't expect the overwhelming sense of fear they created. It attacked without any warning at all the moment she summoned it. She was sure as hell that if Aurora wasn't here to help her, the demon would kill her within thirty seconds.

It was a huge blow to her self-confidence, to say the least.

"I don't mean to sound like a self-help book, but you  _need_ to believe you can do it," Aurora replied.

"I don't think I can," Morticia said angrily, her voice muffled as she pressed her silk handkerchief to her nose to contain the bleeding.

"Nonsense," the old lady huffed dismissively before adding pointedly."Nobody subdues a demon on their first try...no matter how brilliant they are."

The sheepish look on Morticia face told her she hit the right nail.

"I thought…," she said but hesitated, not really eager to voice her thoughts before finally admitting. "I thought I'm better than that."

"You are," Aurora replied smoothly." I know you feel disappointed, but I've already told you it takes more than a mere talent to do this. It takes hours and hours of study and years of practice, no matter how talented you are. No harm in getting your butt kicked every now and then to remind you of it."

"I didn't expect them to be so…"

"Terrifying?"the old lady supplied.

Morticia looked at her thoughtfully for few moments before nodding.

"If it'll make you feel any better, the first time I tried to subdue a demon not only did I fail miserably,"she reminisced before adding with a small smile."I was so scared I vomited."

"You didn't,"Morticia countered in an amused disbelief, still pressing the handkerchief to her nose.

"On my tutor's shoes no less,"she added and was glad when the younger woman laughed because Aurora thought Morticia looked like she was going to faint."Come on, enough of this practice for today, let's have some tea."

* * *

The bath, as always, made her feel much better, if not accounting for the fact that her self-esteem was crawling somewhere on the floor.

She wrapped the large, purple towel around her body and moved her palm across the steamed mirror wincing slightly at the sight. She was fairly certain she got fewer bruises throughout her whole childhood than after few hours of her magic practice.

"What, in the devil, has happened to you?" her husband exclaimed as he entered the steamy bathroom."I thought you were supposed to practice summoning the dark forces with Aurora."

"I was," Morticia replied calmly before turning her head towards the mirror and winced at the sight of a particularly prominent bruise forming on her left shoulder. Aurora has assured her that her pain endurance will increase with practice, admitting that the first weeks were the hardest. Morticia could only hope that's true yet until then she was ever so thankful for her mother-in-law and her painkilling potions.

"Then why do you look you've been to a battle?"

She laughed gently at the accuracy of his statement.

"Well, that's actually not that far away from the truth," she retorted with a small smile, fixing her towel."It turns out summoning demons is more of a hands-on task than I thought."

"This isn't funny, Tish," he said sternly and came to stand behind her. "Look at your shoulder, all bruised."

"Do you want to kiss it better?" she joked, smiling at his reflection in the mirror, but to her surprise, it only made his frown deeper.

"I don't like it," he said seriously and she immediately knew he meant more than just her few bruises.

"Oh, darling,"she said dismissively before turning towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's nothing, my ego is more bruised that my body, trust me."

"Tish…"he whispered but faltered, pondering what to say next or rather how to say it. It scared him to see her like this. Seeking out the dark forces seemed like a great fun, it didn't occur to him for a second that she might get hurt."I'm not sure I want you to continue with this...it's too dangerous."

She almost laughed out loud at his assessment. Dark forces were dangerous by definition, that's why they were so enchantingly appealing.

"Gomez, I can't improve if I don't practice,"she reasoned softly before placing a warm kiss on his lips but her husband was not to be distracted.

"I don't remember my mother ever coming home battered like this from her magic practice,"he said pointedly.

"Well, mama specialises in potions,"she reminded him before adding with a small smile."I think I've already explained how appealing I find those."

He already opened his mouth to reply but she stopped him, placing her palm lightly over his lips.

"Frankly speaking,"she said uneasily."I'm not sure I like where this conversation is going, darling," she admitted and for few seconds they just looked at each other before she felt him place a soft kiss to her fingertips.

"I love you so much,"he said slowly, swallowing hard."I could never go on living if something happened to you, querida."

"Neither could I,"she admitted, caressing his cheek in a comforting manner before adding in a gentle but firm tone: "But...I am who I am...I can't change that, I  _don't want to._ I love you more than anything in this world, but don't ask me to give up who I am. Don't ever ask me that, Gomez."

She watched him bite his lips and regard her thoughtfully. She knew he wasn't happy about this, but he had to understand some things were non-negotiable. She was a witch. She was a dark witch and dark forces were part of her. She felt drawn to them more than she could ever explain; no matter how dangerous the practice of the Dark Arts was - to give it all up was to her unthinkable. The sooner her husband understands that, the better.

"I can't bear the thought that I could lose you, Tish,"he said pressing his forehead against hers, his voice hoarse.

"You can never lose me, mon cher," she replied appeasingly against his lips."We live together and we'll die together, our lifeless bodies shall rot together, side by side, six feet under through _all eternity_."

His breath hitched at the passion and conviction that was so clearly laced through her words and he sneaked his arm around her waist, pressing her firmly against him.

"Cara mia."

"Mon savage," she replied before their lips met in a hot, ardent kiss.

* * *

Gomez gritted his teeth in annoyance, he really tried his best to be understanding and reasonable but the blasted woman was insisting on being aggravatingly obtuse. She took his every word as a criticism and insisted on obnoxiously treating him as some sort of a temporary custodian to her child, not even attempting to discuss their situation.

"Ivy," Gomez bellowed when he noticed the little girl pass. He held the receiver firmly in his hand, trying his best to remove the vexed expression that was undoubtedly gracing his features after his conversation with Rebecca. He could swear he's never met a more infuriating woman in his entire life.

The little girl stopped in her track and he watched her little body tense slightly as she slowly made her way towards him apprehensively.

"I didn't do it!" she said before he had a chance to open his mouth. "Whatever Lumpy told you is a big bunch of lies."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing..." she retorted, realising quickly that grumpy look on her father's face had nothing to do with the prank she performed on Lumpy Addams that resulted in his hair mysteriously turning a very vivid shade of pink."What are  _you_  talking about?"

Gomez let out a gentle laugh and shook his head good-naturedly.

"Something tells me it's more than a mere nothing," he commented and pointed at the receiver."Someone is very eager to talk to you."

"Who?" she asked suspiciously."If it's aunt Lithium, I really really know nothing about Lumpy's pink hair."

"Lumpy's pink…"he started to repeat but stopped abruptly and just rolled his eyes."Just come here, you pink tornado."

Ivy narrowed her eyes suspiciously but took the receiver obediently.

"Hello?"she said slowly, uncertainly, still half-glaring at her father.

"Ivy?"

Gomez watched Ivy blink in confusion and then her eyes widened in recognition.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, honey, it's me…"

"Mummy, mummy it's you! I can hear you!" she exclaimed excitedly before looking at Gomez with bright eyes."It's my mummy!"

Gomez smiled and nodded in confirmation.

"I miss you so much, baby," her mother said softly.

"I miss you too!"

"Are you ok? Having a good time at your father's?"

"Yes mummy, so much! I have a big family here: two grandmas, two grandpas, there's aunt Ophelia and Tish and Lumpy, but he's a bit annoying but fun...sometimes- "

"Wow, that's a lot of people," Rebecca commented.

"That's not even everyone," Ivy explained excitedly."And guess what, we're going to have a real Halloween party and my dress is pink and has spider webs on it!" she exclaimed turning to Gomez and he smiled at her enthusiasm. He would happily forgo this blasted party himself.

"Seems like your father's looking after you."

"Oh yeah," Ivy confirmed, smiling at Gomez before whispering secretly into the receiver as if oblivious to the fact that her father was right next to her and could hear every single word."Gomez spoils me, he buys me lots of stuff."

"He does? Wow, good for you, milk it for what it's worth," she joked and smiled when the little girl laughed happily."You shouldn't call him Gomez, though, he's your dad you know."

"He doesn't mind, mummy," Ivy replied unconcernedly but frowned slightly, obviously not happy to get reprimanded.

"I'm sure he'd like it better if you called him dad,"Rebecca insisted and Gomez watched curiously as Ivy's face wrinkled in a momentary annoyance.

"Did your doctor say you're feeling better, now?" she asked instead, effectively changing the subject.

There were few seconds of silence before her mother's voice reverberated again through the phone.

"I'm trying to get better, honey,"she replied uneasily.

"Oh, that's good," Ivy said carefully and smiled but Gomez thought the smile didn't reach her eyes."Can I come to visit you?"

"Ehm, soon baby, I promise," she whispered, but Ivy could sense she was getting upset.

"All right," came her faint reply.

Gomez frowned, watching his daughter shift uncomfortably as she listened to her mother talking. He assumed she was whispering because he longer could hear a damn word and he didn't like it at all.

"It's okay, mummy, don't worry," Ivy said but all the traces of her previous excitement were practically gone."I love you too. Bye."

Ivy handed him the receiver obediently and he took it gently replacing it mechanically as he watched his daughter bite her lips, blinking her eyes in a rapid movement suggesting she was trying very hard not to cry.

"I don't think she wants to get better," she whispered disappointingly, whether to him or to herself, Gomez wasn't sure.

"She's trying," he placated but the little just shook her head at his words.

"She's always saying that."

He faltered and realized, with a sinking feeling, that the little girl knew perfectly well about her mother's problem. That Rebecca lied to him. Not that he didn't suspect that but now he was beyond certain. He felt his gut tighten at the worried look at Ivy's face, she looked suddenly much older than her five years. He hated that.

He was surprised at the sudden anger that engulfed him on her behalf. He wanted to protect her, to shelter her, to remove all that sadness from her little heart.

"Have you ever wrecked a train?"he heard himself asking and watched Ivy turn towards him and shake her head gently."Would you like to?"

* * *

Morticia just finished applying a final layer of her blood red lipstick when she heard the bedroom door open and her husband peered inside with that irresistibly debonair smile she loved so much.

"Ready, cara mia?" he asked entering their bedroom and closed the door behind him with a soft click."Mama wants everyone is the hall in the next five minutes."

"Oh, I'm ready,"she smiled at him as she closed the lipstick tube."I just need you to help me with the zip,"she added and stood up gracefully, pulling her long hair over her shoulder and looked at him expectantly.

"Dios mio,"Gomez uttered more to himself than to his wife as he took into the enticing image of her bare, supple back encased in a shimmery material of her party dress. He approached her from behind with every damn intention to just zip up the damn dress, but he just couldn't resist caressing the soft, ivory skin."Are you trying to kill me, querida?"

"Kill you?" she murmured innocently, turning her head slightly towards him, a small, knowing smile gracing her luscious lips."Now, why would I want to do that, darling? What good are you to me dead?"

"This dress...is pure torture,"he said passionately, his lips already placing soft kisses on her shoulders. He smiled against her skin when his hands sneaked up to her front to caress the underside of her breasts and he was rewarded with her soft moan. He was about to peel the soft material off her body when a sharp, loud knock on the door reverberated through the bedroom.

"Get away from her  _this_ instant, Gomez," his mother's stern voice reached them from behind the door making Gomez growl loudly in frustration."Don't you dare growl at me, Gomez Addams. Don't make me come in there! I'll see you two downstairs in thirty seconds or else."

They heard the sharp clicks of Eudora's heels as she made her way down the hall and Gomez sighed in defeat, reluctantly zipping the sinfully alluring dress up.

Morticia laughed gently and turned towards him slowly, pleased when his breath hitched at the sight of her.

"Dios mio,"he repeated in a defeated whimper, biting his lips in an attempt to resist the unholy images that assaulted him voraciously as he took a good look at her. The dress  _was_ a pure torture. It barely revealed any skin at all, but it clung and accentuated every delightful curve of her glorious body in such a faithful, enticing way it made his mouth dry.

"Do you like it?" she asked coquettishly with a soft, wilful smile as she slipped into her black stiletto heels.

"When we're back from this damn party,"he whispered roughly not taking his eyes off her, but not daring to touch her again either, knowing full well he possessed no will nor desire to resist his beautiful enchantress."I'm going to show you exactly how much I like it."

"You are?"she asked and felt her body tingle with anticipation at this very sinfully delightful prospect.

He growled and nodded at her, before adding purposefully: "All night long."

* * *

Gomez Addams tried very hard not to roll his eyes as his aunt made her way through the sea of part guests to greet them in her usual ostentatious fashion. His father saw her before he did and in, what Gomez thought was a pathetically selfish gesture of self-preservation, practically dragged Eudora to the dancefloor before their not-so-gracious hostess could reach them.

"Gomez, darling, there you are!"Matilda Addams stretched her plump arms and pulled her nephew into a firm hug.

"How are you, auntie? You look stunning as always,"he complimented placing his two polite, customary kisses on her cheeks.

"Oh, you know, getting there,"his aunt replied morosely."Life's just not the same without our dear Balthazar. What a pity they've cleared you of his murder."

"Ah well, you can't have everything."

"True, true,"his aunt confirmed before turning to Morticia. "Morticia, my dear, you look absolutely mesmerizing,"she complimented before taking her hand into hers and regarding her sympathetically."How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you," Morticia replied with a soft smile.

"We were all just talking about how wonderfully you're handling all this, truly admirable,"she stressed, nodding her head gently and without waiting for the young woman's reply she turned to the little girl, who was nervously holding her father's hand, with a brilliant smile."And this must be our little Eve."

"Ivy," Gomez corrected gruffly.

"Oh, pardon me,"his aunt laughed with a careless wave of her hand."Of course, Ivy. I'm very pleased to meet you, young lady."

"Hello,"the little girl replied before turning to her father with an accusatory glare."You tricked me. She doesn't look like a big, fat, wrinkly bat at all."

Gomez blanched and his eyes widened in horror and he resisted an urge to hit his head into a brick wall. He could practically sense his wife next to him biting her cheeks. As sweet as his daughter was, her ability to just speak whatever was on her mind was simply flabbergasting.

"What's that, dear?"his aunt interjected."I didn't quite hear you, it's so noisy here."

Gomez breathed out a sigh of relief but covered his daughter's mouth with his hand just the same.

"I've told her you have bats in the garden, she loves bats,"he explained promptly and watched Matilda's face brighten.

"Oh, but of course we do, I'm sure Lumpy will show you later where they are,"she smiled at Ivy and extended her hand towards her."Why don't we go find him?"

Ivy looked up to her father for the permission to go and he nodded somewhat reluctantly and watched as his aunt took Ivy across the room, no doubt in a not so furtive attempt to extract from the little girl all the juicy details she was craving for.

"Tish,"he turned to his wife, sneaking his arm around her waist."When was the last time we waltzed?"

"Our wedding I suppose,"she replied leaning towards him.

"A gross negligence,"he commented with disapproval, placing a soft kiss to her smooth hand before moving them in a gentle rhythm."We should waltz every day."

"Marvelous idea, darling,"she smiled at him lovingly.

"You look breathtaking, Tish," he complimented, staring appreciatively at the enticing way her dress clung to her body."I can't wait to take that dress off you."

She moaned softly and felt the familiar heat build in her groin at his words. She saw his self-satisfying grin at her reaction and felt a mild annoyance at how much she wanted him. Well, two could play this game.

"You look quite irresistible yourself,"she purred, looking at him pointedly before bringing her lips closer to his ear and whispered softly:"I can't help but think of all the delicious things I'd like to do to you."

She smirked, feeling his body stiffen.

"Gods, Tish, when you speak like that ...my blood boils, querida,"he whispered passionately.

"As does mine."

"Think they would mind if we left early? Now, for example?"

She laughed gently, tilting her head back in amusement.

"Think of the mighty headslaps we shall undoubtedly receive from our dear mama if we do that,"she pointed out and laughed at his disappointed groan.

"That's a good point,"he admitted.

"Is it just me or is everyone staring at us?"Morticia asked in an amused tone as they continued to move fluidly into the beguiling sounds of "An der schönen blauen Donau."

"Blatantly so," he husband confirmed with a charming grin."This house just heaves with gossips."

"Ah, yes, Mr and Mrs Addams and their scandalous way of life,"his wife supplied with a grin of her own.

"I say we should scandalize them some more,"he said and dipped her low in his arms before placing a sinfully delicious kiss on her ruby lips.

* * *

No man was a stranger to bawdy jokes because all men, in one way or another, indulged in them on a regular basis. Usually, the jokes were in reverse proportions to man's sexual prowess, that is the older the men the more ribald the jokes were. There were, of course, explicit rules to such comments and a cardinal one said that no man should make a suggestive comment about other man's wife if the said man present.

"Oh, I'm telling you Gomez that wife of yours...mmmm...if I was ten years younger."

Uncle Squirt obviously never heard about the cardinal rule and Gomez tightened his grip on his champagne glass after  _yet another_ improper comment about his wife.

"Calm the hell down,"his father muttered next to him, placing his hand on Gomez's tense shoulder." You're going to break that glass."

"Then take it the hell away from me," Gomez hissed through clenched teeth and his father prudently did just that.

"He's eighty-seven-years old," Salvador pointed out."You want to challenge him to a duel?"he asked sardonically and Gomez glared at him.

"Easy for you to say,"he replied sharply."He's not making lewd comments about  _your_ wife."

"Well, not anymore," Salvador grinned at his son."Not after I broke his nose."

"You should be glad you're not ten years younger, uncle," cousin Cyrus interjected, watching Gomez carefully before adding pointedly:" Had it been me making all those risque comments about Gomez's wife I would be long dead or at least... missing some vital organs."

Uncle Squirt laughed heartily and nodded vigorously at Cyrus' words.

"Ah, you hot-blooded Castilians," he commented jovially."Gomez knows I mean well,"he added, giving Gomez a strong pat on the back and Gomez forced himself to smile.

"Of course."

"Although, I tell you my boy...she's truly something, you lucky dog," he said looking suggestively in the direction to where Morticia was talking to Matilda."Just look at those hips," he added before letting out a low growl.

Gomez Addams could not help but raise his eyes to high heavens praying to whoever was listening to give him patience because, eighty-seven or not, he was going to wring his uncle's neck if he continued to make those luscious comments about his sweet querdia.

* * *

The Frump family was not nearly as wealthy to ever be considered an upper-class but due to Mortimer's position as a head surgeon at the biggest hospital in the city, that he took over five years ago, they were certainly reasonably well-off.

In fact, it's through his very work Dr. Mortimer Frump got acquainted with the Addams clan in the first place - treating various family members' stab wounds, gunshot wounds or re-attaching decapitated body parts - all kinds of injuries acquired in duels, brawls and other friendly family fun. Very soon, he became known amongst the clan as the go-to doctor who accepted their bizarre explanations with no questions asked and only involved authorities if it was absolutely necessary.

Befriending the Addamses opened and his family doors to the wealthiest houses in town. Hence the Frump girls enjoyed the best of both worlds: the ease of a well-off, upper-middle-class upbringing with opportunities brought by mingling among the very upper-class members of society.

Despite the opportunities, such associations might have provided her family, what really always irritated Morticia was how passive-aggressive some of them, particularly older women, tended to be. How they dressed insults in pretty words, sticking them into a conversation in a way one would stick pins into a pincushion - it wasn't lethal but it made one bleed slowly and painfully.

Yet, much like her father, Morticia Addams was a very patient, extremely poised and serene person. Hence it was absolutely a rare occasion where she was reactionary in her responses - one of those moments was when she met her darling husband and accepted his proposal mere hours after she first laid her eyes on him; the other she was currently experiencing.

She took great pride in her good breeding, but even she had limits - limits that Matilda Addams, or as Aurora liked to call her 'that old crone', was slowly but surely reaching as she kept talking Morticia's ear off about how she admired young Mrs Addams for taking in 'Gomez's  _out of wedlock_  daughter' for she 'would surely  _die_  if she was faced with such a trial herself', how she could not imagine how difficult it must be for Morticia to be faced with a knowledge that 'Gomez fathered a child that was not hers and to be  _forced_  to raise the girl no less' - all that while patting Morticia's hand comfortingly while two other ladies, whose names Morticia forgot, were dutifully nodding their heads to everything Matilda was saying.

Morticia silently wondered how would Gomez feel about her turning his aunt into an ugly bullfrog or something really disgusting...like a butterfly.

"Far from me to stick my nose into other people's lives…" Matilda cooed and Morticia almost choked on her drink to prevent herself from snorting."...but if I were you, my dear, I would make arrangements for some nice boarding school," Matilda suggested, but noticing Morticia's confused frown she continued in a conspiratorial whisper."You know, out of sight out of mind."

Morticia wasn't a fool, she knew exactly what the high society thought of illegitimate children - no matter how backward the idea seemed in this day and age.

Sure, men were allowed mistresses and illegitimate children - as long as they are out of sight, not offending society's fragile sensibilities. She knew all that, most of the men in this very room had mistresses and children out of wedlock everyone knew about but pretended not to. This questionable morality never bothered her, but when it was suggested that  _she_ should treat Ivy as if she was some sort of insult to her status as a Gomez's wife, Morticia found it unbearable. She turned her eyesight to where the little girl was mischievously running around with Lumpy Addams in between the crowd of people who thought of her a mere nuisance, bemused by the way Gomez 'flaunted' his bastard daughter in front of everyone.

Morticia swallowed heavily and felt the white, hot anger sweeping through her on Ivy's behalf.

"She's not a nuisance…"she found herself whispering, more to herself than to the women surrounding her.

"Pardon?"

Morticia blinked and looked at Matilda Addams who watched at her with a content look on her face as if pleased she could offer new Mrs Addams a sound advice of how to handle one's husband's bastard children.

"Ivy,"Morticia said silkily."She's not a nuisance, she won't be going to any boarding school."

Matilda gave her what could only be described as a pitying smile.

"My, dear, there's no reason to get offended,"she said placatingly."It's for her own good, really."

"What's  _good_  for her is to stay with her family, to have a home, not to be send off to some institution…"she said in a firm voice.

"You may do as you please,"Matilda interjected in a soft, unconcerned tone before adding pointedly."But she will always be a reminder that some other woman has given your husband a child before you had."

Morticia gave her a sharp look and saw a self-satisfied smirk form on the other woman's face that told her that she knew she delivered the verbal blow with utmost precision.

"Excuse me," she said, then turned away and headed towards the balcony. She needed a fresh air, she needed to get away from them all and calm the hell down.

She was thankful that there was nobody on the balcony. She gripped the sturdy cement balustrade firmly and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in order to regain her composure. The cold night air was vicious and the thin material of her dress provided no protection from the October chill, but she welcomed it. She was angry and disappointed at herself for how much the remark stung and that she unwittingly allowed that blasted woman to see it. Morticia didn't blame Ivy for the situation, she didn't blame anyone, she didn't feel violated by it, but she had to admit that it hurt her - the very fact that there was that other woman who gave  _her_  husband a child - even though it was accidental and unplanned. She knew it was pathetic and pitiful, but she couldn't help it.

She heard a sudden movement behind her, followed by the soft click of high heels on a cement floor and Morticia winced in annoyance. It seemed her moment of solitude was no longer. She didn't turn, clinging to the last remnants of hope that the person would leave her be.

Alas, no such luck.

She felt the presence beside her.

"Here," a gentle feminine voice, that felt vaguely familiar, said. However, Morticia met so many people tonight that she stopped keeping track of them half an hour into the party."You look like you may need it."

Morticia opened her eyes and smirked when she was faced with a glass full of red wine. She turned to the woman on her right, wrapping her long, slim fingers around the stem of the crystal glass - accepting the drink.

"Thank you," she said gratefully and graced the woman with a polite smile before taking a long sip of the red liquid. No cyanide, but it will do.

The woman returned the smile and leaned her back against the balustrade. She didn't say anything but looked contemplatively into her own glass which gave Morticia a moment to study her closer. She was certainly very beautiful, her chocolate brown hair were swept to the back and twisted into a complicated chignon and glittered in the moonlight, complimenting her olive skin. She was very slim, but few inches shorter than Morticia.

"Don't let what that old crone said bother you,"the woman said gently before lifting her head to look at Morticia."I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry but you  _are_  all everyone is talking about in there."

"Indeed?"Morticia said irksomely, with more frost than she intended but the woman didn't seem to mind her tone and nodded.

"I think it's great...the way you are with the little girl…," she said sincerely."You make her feel wanted... be a part of the family, despite everything, that's really nice of you."

Morticia shrugged in response and took another hefty drink of her wine, not at all interested in discussing her family masters with a stranger, no matter how kind she seemed.

"It's not an easy life being a bastard," the woman stated calmly.

Morticia turned to her sharply with a look that could turn water into ice in an instant, but the woman lifted her hands in a gesture of surrender.

"I know all about it, being one myself," she smirked.

Morticia's icy demeanour instantly softened at her words.

"My mother died giving birth to me and my father graciously decided to raise me - his illegitimate, bastard, dark-skinned baby. His wife was livid," she explained in a matter of fact voice. "She," the woman added pointing her head to the ballroom from which Morticia understood she meant Matilda Addams."Helped my stepmother arrange for the boarding school as soon as I turned four."

"Out of sight, out of mind?"Morticia quoted Matilda's words sarcastically.

"Exactly," the woman confirmed."Which in the end I didn't mind, better the boarding school than a constantly brooding stepmother, blaming me for existing."

Morticia laughed mirthlessly and turned to look into her glass.

"What about your father?"she asked curiously after a moment of silence."He just allowed her to send you off?"

The woman face wrinkled in a thoughtful grimace and she half-turned to look at the garden below.

"In his opinion," she started slowly. "He's done his part by claiming me and that's more than anyone in his position would do and I should be eternally grateful," she smirked and turned to Morticia."But Gomez isn't like that, he's a…,"she paused searching for words."He's a good man and he'll be a great father."

Morticia frowned slightly at that somewhat intimate assessment of her husband's character and apparently, the woman noticed her confusion.

"I'm Melanie by the way," she said, extending her hand."Melanie Newton."

 _Melanie_.

Suddenly hearing her name made Morticia realize why the woman's voice seemed familiar. Her eyes widened in recognition and she couldn't help but laugh shaking Melanie's outstretched hand nevertheless.

"Morticia Addams," she said in an amused, bewildered tone, because the very fact that she was discussing her husband's illegitimate child with his ex-lover was simply too bizarre not to be hilarious at the same time.

"Yeah, I know," Melanie said with a smile."I hope this isn't awkward,"she added knowingly.

"Awkward doesn't even cut it."

Melanie laughed.

"Oh hell, you're breaking all the social conventions anyway, why not to go a step further and befriend your husband's ex-lover?"Melanie proposed and grinned at her companion.

Morticia laughed back.

"Wouldn't that be interesting,"she said raising her glass to her lips.

"Oh, we would be  _the talk_  of the season," Melanie agreed drawing an amused smirk from Morticia."But it may give Gomez a heart attack."

Morticia laughed before she could stop herself and turned to her companion with a raised glass.

* * *

"You're killing me, querida," he moaned but her only reply was an amused laugh."Let me have you."

"Mmmmm, not yet,"she purred and slid her hand between his legs to cup him firmly.

He let out a strangled moan and his hand fisted into her ebony locks. He watched her turn her head and lick the length of his forearm all the way to his wrist.

"Mon amour,"she whispered seductively while nipping at the soft skin on the inside of his wrist and heard him moan."You're not supposed to touch me yet."

"I can't help myself, cara," he replied, without a shadow of remorse, pushing himself to a sitting position, his hands roaming her body restlessly."You're so exquisite."

She leaned forward, hovering just above his lips before replying in that soft, husky bedroom voice:

"Rules are rules, darling,"she pressed herself against him, her nails digging into the soft skin of his shoulders before capturing his lips in a hot kiss. She felt him grab her hips and grind them against his groin, eliciting a strangled moan from both of them. She broke their kiss and narrowed her eyes at him in a mock disapproval."You're very disobedient tonight."

"Don't tease me anymore, Tish, I want you too much,"he groaned against her collarbone."My minx."

She smiled at him knowingly before capturing his lips into another hot, wet kiss.

"Stay where you are,"she said softly before moving off him and walked towards the dresser in all her naked glory.

He watched, mesmerized, as she removed two of his leather belts from the drawer before turning slowly towards him. He just couldn't tear his eyes off her.

"I'm afraid the only way to make sure you obey the rules is to bind you to them,"she purred with a purposeful gleam in her eyes as she pushed him gently to lay on the bed before striding his middle and his breath hitched at the mere prospect.

"Tighter,"he rasped as he watched her slid the leather through the metal hoop and moaned with pleasure when she complied.

She looked at him, bound and helpless. His eyes ablaze with lust for her, his breathing erratic and felt an irrational yet overwhelming surge of need to state her claim on him. She thought, unwittingly, of all those women at the tonight's party, following him with their eyes lustily…

"Mine,"she purred as she placed soft kisses on his neck before sinking her teeth sharply into his shoulder until she felt his skin pierce and was rewarded with a loud moan of delight.

"Gods…more Tish, don't stop," Gomez groaned and shut his eyes tightly, feeling his groin tighten uncontrollably as Morticia lips travelled alongside his jawline, biting and licking the rough skin while she rubbed her wet centre against him.

He opened his eyes when he felt her vermilion nails scratch roughly against his abdomen, leaving the vicious marks on his skin, her glorious lips following its trial with hot wet kisses and he bit his lower lip as the surge of pleasure swept through him and couldn't help but jerk against her.

She sank down on him slowly and moaned deliciously as he filled her, stretched her.

"You feel so good,"she whispered against his lips as she pressed her hands against his chest and started to move her hips in a gentle rhythm, rubbing her core against his abdominal muscles. She smiled when he jerked his hips against her."So...impatient, my darling," she mocked and arched backwards, taking him deeper inside her and was rewarded with a harsh moan of pleasure.

"You will kill me like this, I swear," he groaned and tugged desperately at his bondage but to no avail. He wanted to touch her so desperately it made him half-crazed.

"I thought you liked it...slow,"she teased but moved her hips just a little faster.

The sheer image of her above him, moving against him in that deliciously sensual manner was almost too much for him, yet the view was just too mesmerizing for him to tear his eyes off her. He felt himself balancing dangerously close to the edge and swore before thrusting his hips forcefully upwards pulling at the leather restraints.

He couldn't help a smirk that formed on his lips when she gasped in pleasure and grasped his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin painfully.

He watched her teeth sink into her lower lip in an attempt to regain her composure but he already felt her inner muscles starting to squeeze him and knew that she would not be able to resist any longer.

She made a mistake of looking at him and saw his lust, his need for her so desperate it made her breath hitch and it was her undoing.

She cried out, feeling the wave of pleasure hit her and spread gloriously through her body. She leaned towards him and captured his full lips into an ardent kiss while her hips moved frantically pulling him over the edge with her.

She untied his arms and collapsed on him, her breathing erratic, skin glistening with perspiration in the aftermath of their fervent lovemaking. She felt so good, tired but sated, the ire that penetrated her body the whole blasted evening was virtually nonexistent. She felt Gomez's strong arms pull her closer towards him firmly and she sighed contentedly, listening to his rapid heartbeat.

"I've met Melanie tonight," she said suddenly, without lifting her head from his chest.

Gomez let out a dramatic moan and immediately reached to the bedside table for his cigar.

"Aren't there any rules regarding acceptable post-coital conversations?" He asked, his voice muffled by the cigar in between his lips.

She laughed at his discomfort and lifted her head to look at him.

"She's really nice, I like her."

"Tiiiiiish,"he whined petulantly.

"You have a very good taste in women, mon amour," she commented, placing a soft kiss on his chest.

"I beg you."

"Do you mind if I invite her over sometimes?"

His eyes widened in horror.

"Is this some kind of punishment?"

"No, of course not," she said and smiled sweetly."I just like her. I want to invite her for lunch next Friday."

"I would rather paint the whole house pink."

"Thursday then."

"You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"Because, she's…,"he paused, scrambling for words. "You know...Melanie."

"Yes, I know that."

"Then why are we even having this conversation?"

"It may seem awkward…"

" _You_  think?"he interrupted sarcastically more harshly than he intended and felt her body tense."I'm sorry but I'm really not comfortable with this."

She rolled off of him to lie on her side next to him, propping her head on her hand.

He frowned, annoyed at the loss of her warmth.

"Querida,"he said pleadingly then dropped his cigar in the ashtray on the bedside table."Come back here."

She complied and felt his arms wrap around her in a tight embrace.

"What do you think we're going to do? Compare notes?"

He snorted at the suggestion. "Are you?"

"Maybe,"she smirked.

He raised his eyes to the ceiling in a silent prayer and inhaled deeply.

"Mon cher,"she purred the French endearment and bent down to place an open-mounted kiss down his chest.

"You're not playing fair,"he moaned as she reached his lower abdomen.

"I can stop if you'd like," she said coquettishly.

"Not bloody likely," he replied in defeat.

* * *

Morticia was never afraid of pain. She always had a high tolerance for it and often derived a physical pleasure from a certain amount of it. Not to mention the fact that since she started her practice with Aurora she's been thrown against the ground so many times the pain seemed her constant companion nowadays. She certainly understood now, why the practice of summoning demons was always conducted in wide open spaces, for while she lost count at the number of rocks and stones that's been thrown at her in the last weeks, she could only imagine what a disaster it would be if there were larger objects available for the demon to use against her. She had to admit, though, that her reflexes have never been better.

Hence when Aurora warned her that the spell they're going to practice was particularly painful she didn't think much of it. She did not, however, expect that summoning of the dark forces would feel like holding onto hot coals.

Her palms were burning so badly she could barely stand it. She kept her eyes closed to aid her concentration but could feel the dark phantom creature begin to circle her, curious, testing her strength.

"You are losing focus, Morticia"," Aurora said slowly from the distance behind her."Keep repeating the spell, keep visualizing - these are dark forces, this is chaos and you bend it to your will."

Morticia hissed and shut her eyes tighter, the pain was becoming unbearable but she could feel the creature weaken against her spell and felt a surge of strength filling her, giving her a burst of confidence to continue. She opened her eyes and watched the phantom float higher and higher, retreating. If it had eyes, or face for that matter, she could have sworn it was eyeing her curiously. She focused her eyes on the creature, muttering the spell, her arms outstretched in front of her.

Suddenly, the creature lunged at her causing Morticia to falter and gasp at its force, but she managed to stop it just before it collided with her. She could feel her body cover with a cold sweat as she whispered the spell with more force and the creature backed away, but Morticia felt its dark force surround her, pulling her in, inviting her to let it in, to let it consume her.

Tentatively, the creature began to float towards her, apparently sensing Morticia's curiosity and she let it came so close it was mere inches from her.

"Morticia stop," Aurora said gravely."It's trying to possess you."

But Morticia could barely hear her, finding it unbelievably hard to resist the enchanting pull of the darkness.  _Come to me,_ her mind whispered at the phantom and she could not stop it. Emboldened by her apparent acquiesce the creature moved towards her, now floating a mere breath away from her.

 _Yes,_  Morticia's mind whispered _, come to me._

"Morticia, no!" the old lady bellowed but it was too late, the phantom already lunged forward. Aurora sucked in her breath and felt metallic taste of panic fill her mouth, but before she could whisper the spell to repel the phantom, the previously mute creature let out a loud shriek and bolted away from Morticia.

Aurora followed it with her eyes, utterly bewildered at what was happening. She could feel its terror, she could almost taste it. She looked at Morticia who kept muttering the spell while her eyes turned the shade of black silk and were glittering with vicious pleasure, focused entirely on the terrified demon. She watched the young women lift her hands and then slowly close them into tight fists, the creature shrieked in pain and a few seconds later dissolved into the thin air.

"How did you do that?" the older lady whispered in an awe, staring at her niece.

Morticia lowered her hands and turned her head towards Aurora, her eyes momentarily unfocused before she blinked rapidly to clear her mind.

"It was terrified of you, I could feel that, how did you do that?" Aurora repeated insistently grabbing Morticia's arm firmly.

Morticia licked her lips, realizing how dry her mouth felt.

"I don't know...I felt…"she started, her voice croaked. She cleared her throat, suddenly very tired."It wanted to possess me and I allowed it,"she said."But then I felt it weaken, I felt its power filling me and then it bolted right off of me."

"This is incredible…" the old lady muttered, more to herself than to Morticia. " _You_ , you made it suffer."

Morticia nodded.

"And then you killed it," Aurora said, her eyes gleaming.

"Yes."

The old lady shook her head and covered her mouth with her hand, staring at the space vacated by the demon. Suddenly, Aurora grabbed her hand but, to her surprise, Morticia gasped in pain and snatched it away.

She watched, in alarm, as the young woman turned her hands to look at the inside of her palm and let out a strangled yelp of pain.

Aurora gasped.

Both palms were covered with fresh burn wounds.

* * *

"This will help you in no time, couple of days and you will be as good as new," Eudora Addams said comfortingly as she gently covered Morticia's hands with dark-greenish ointment. Her daughter-in-law smiled at her gratefully, but it was very clear that she was in a great pain. Her dark-brown eyes were glistening feverishly and a faint sweat covered her temples, but she didn't complain."I will need to bandage your hands," Eudora added as she unrolled the white, woven material.

Morticia nodded but hissed in pain when the bandage connected with the burned skin.

"Sorry," her mother-in-law winced apologetically.

Morticia shook her head dismissively.

"It's ok, mama," she whispered, but her voice was clearly laced with pain.

Gomez squeezed her arms comfortingly and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, yet she could sense a fury brewing inside him.

"If it makes you feel any better," Eudora said gently not lifting her eyes from Morticia's hands. "I have never seen Aurora being so proud of anyone in my entire life," she praised, picked the large metal scissors and snapped at the bandage."She's still on the phone talking with your French tutor - bragging about you really."

Morticia actually smiled at her words, but Gomez huffed exasperatedly.

"I would rather you wouldn't go to such lengths to please our dear aunt, querida," he commented stiffly.

"Darling, don't be mad," Morticia said softly.

"I'm not mad," he replied with a forced calmness, pulling a cigar from his breast pocket.

"I beg to differ."

"I'm not mad…at you, Tish...I'm  _angry_ because you've got hurt," he said irksomely and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Well, son, what did you expect? Subduing a demon is not exactly a child's play," his mother said irritably."She's not frolicking with bats there."

"Mama, you're not helping," Morticia muttered while smiling placatingly at her dear husband who looked more and more like a thundercloud.

"Why?" The older woman asked as she carefully kept bandaging Morticia's left hand. "He should be proud to have such a gifted witch for a wife. Not many witches are able to subdue a demon at such a young age."

"Of course I'm proud of her, mama" Gomez defended fiercely."That's not the point."

"I  _know_ what your point is," his mother said pointedly. "But you're missing the bigger picture here."

"Am I?" Gomez asked sardonically.

His mother ignored his tone and for few moments busied herself with dressing Morticia's hand. Only when she snapped off the bandage did she turn to her son.

"Morticia," she started pointing at Gomez with her scissors."Is a dark witch and the primary job of a dark witch is to keep the dark forces under control. There aren't many dark witches and wizards to begin with, and our dear brothers and sisters on the bright and sunny side can only do so much when it comes to the dark forces. As appealing as the total chaos may sound, keeping the balance between the two sides is essential.  _Any_  witch can repel a demon, but…"she paused deliberately. "A witch who can subdue and destroy a demon? Now,  _that_  doesn't happen very often. That's not something you can learn, it's a very special gift. "

"Not at such costs," he said stubbornly pointing his head at his wife's bandaged hands.

"Oh, you're being over-dramatic, darling," his mother scoffed and turned to her daughter-in-law."All done, my dear."

"Thank you, mama."

Eudora smiled warmly at the raven-haired woman and turned again to her son.

"Now, take your wife upstairs, the pain-killing potion I gave her will start working soon and it will knock her down for a good couple of hours."

Gomez nodded obediently and put away his half-smoked cigar.

"Arms around my neck, cara mia," he said gently as he slipped his left arm under her knees.

"My legs are fine, darling," she smiled at him but wrapped her arms around him as asked, careful not to touch her bandaged hands.

"You are exhausted," he said knowingly and lifted her in her arms. It always surprised him how little she weighed.

She smiled at him tenderly and placed a grateful kiss on his lips.

By the time they reached their bedroom, Morticia was fighting off sleep and Gomez lay her gently on the bed before he sat down next to her and proceeded to remove her shoes.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Gomez smiled at her warmly and placed a soft kiss on the outside of her knee.

"Tish…" he started but halted as if unsure what to say. After a few long seconds he looked at his wife's bandaged hands and his lips compressed in a hard line. "Be more careful...please, cara."

She felt her heart swell with love at the desperation in his voice. She motioned for him to come closer and waited until his face was less than an inch from his.

"I love you so much, mon cher," she whispered and captured his lips in a tender kiss.

"You are my whole world, querida, I could not go on living without you," he said, his voice hoarse with emotions as he rested his forehead against hers.

"You will never have to, I promise," she said even though there was only so much one could do to keep a promise like that. Morticia, however, was determined to keep it. "Lie down next to me," she asked sleepily.

He did and watched her wince as she turned slowly toward him. He rested a comforting hand on her hip.

"I love you."

She smiled at him sleepily, already closing her eyes before whispering softly:

"Forever."

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all for your comments and kudos!
> 
> And if you celebrate Halloween, then Happy Halloween - have fun and stay safe. :)

**Chapter 11**

"Excellent shot, cara mia!"

"Thank you, darling," Morticia smiled and handed the bow to Ivy."Your turn."

Ivy took the bow from Morticia and Lurch dutifully handed her an arrow.

"Thank you, Lurch," she said politely and proceeded to load the bow, just as her father taught her, even though, due to the fact that the bow was much bigger than her, she struggled to draw the string properly and her hands shook slightly as she focused on her target.

"Sometime today would be good," Gomez teased, his voice muffled by his cigar.

"I'm concentrating, mastery takes time," she retorted smartly, narrowing her eyes.

"She's spending too much time around Aurora," he muttered, rolling his eyes and heard Morticia's soft laugh beside him.

"So impatient, my dear husband," Morticia commented, wrapping her cloak a little more snugly around herself. After despicably hot and dry Summer they didn't have much of a Fall this year at all. Apparently, mother nature decided to skip straight to the winter season. Even though the snow was yet to fall, it was already damn freezing.

"Granny Frump says husbands should be held on a short leash," Ivy piped out before releasing the arrow.

"I happen to agree wholeheartedly with my dear mother-in-law," Gomez murmured into Morticia's neck, as he came to stand behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her before placing a soft kiss to her skin.

"Dang it, I missed!"

"I'm pretty sure your dear mother-in-law meant it as a figure of speech," she replied but there was a clear amusement laced into her voice.

" _I think_  it's an idea worth exploring," he said suggestively and grinned when he elicited a gentle laugh out of her.

"Is your mind ever out of the gutter, mon amour?" she asked in a mock exasperation, turning her head towards him.

"Not when you speak to me like that," he replied before capturing her lips in an ardent kiss.

"Oh, no, not this again," the little girl groaned."You could at least  _try_  not smooch each other when there are other people around."

"We are," came her father's muffled reply.

"Not hard enough," she retorted before handing the bow and arrow to Lurch."I don't want to play this anymore, I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Gomez interjected goodnaturedly."It's a mystery where do you even put all that food."

"Ivy, what do we say to our guests?"Morticia reminded softly.

"Oh, right!" Ivy exclaimed and went to the two, extremely frightened- looking men, both dressed in black clothes and tied to their respective chairs with a rope, gagged and red apples placed on their heads. "Thank you so very much for breaking-in into our house in the middle of the night. It was very kind of you to agree to play with us together, I hope you'll visit us again soon."

The two men nodded at the girl politely with utterly stunned expressions on their faces.

"That's a good girl,"Morticia praised before turning to Lurch."Lurch, please untie our guests and show them to the gate."

"Yes, Mrs Addams," the butler grunted politely and went over to untie the two men. Well, he wasn't exactly expert on human emotions but those two certainly didn't look like they were even remotely considering stepping a foot on the Addams land ever again. Pity, it really was fun.

* * *

Morticia Addams counted silently to ten, then counted to ten in French, then proceeded to do so in Russian and Latin. When that did not seem to work she contemplated going through conjugation of French verbs for she currently found her serene personality severely challenged as she tried, quite fruitlessly, to put a certain five-year-old into the bath for the last thirty-three minutes.

Usually, Ivy was quite complainant with her bedtime routine yet tonight of all nights, when Morticia had yet to finish her paper for her history class and revise her notes for tomorrow's exam, she decided it would be amusing to run around the mansion half-naked and was now, half an hour later, still jumping on her bed, blatantly refusing to get down.

Additionally, Gomez was still to be back from business drinks with his father - to which, ironically, Morticia insisted he went to even though Gomez offered several times to stay at home, so she could focus on her studies but she assured him she could perfectly well handle Ivy's bedtime on her own. Obviously, that was not to be the case. She was slowly but surely starting to regret not taking him up on his offer.

"Ivy," Morticia stressed, trying very hard not to grit her teeth."That's quite enough, darling. Come on, you have your first day of school tomorrow and it's already late," she reasoned but the little girl continued to jump wildly on her bed that creaked suspiciously like it's not going to last.

"But Tish I can't get down," she answered in a serious tone."The floor is lava."

Morticia was about seven seconds into losing her temper when suddenly the door opened and Eudora Addams stepped in.

"Gomez just called to say they're on their way home," she informed but faltered upon noticing the exasperated look on her daughter-in-law's usually serene features and raised her eyebrow knowingly."Is the floor lava again?"

"Apparently. I'm trying to get her bathed for the last half an hour."

Her mother-in-law smiled sympathetically.

"She's an Addams, treat her accordingly," Eudora stated, with a careless wave of her hand, as of that explained everything, before putting her hands on her hips and addressing the little girl sternly:"Ivy Dorothy Addams get your butt off this bed and into your bath  _this instance_."

Morticia almost gasped in an outrage as the little girl stopped jumping immediately and her eyes widened at the sight of her Grandmama's stern look.

"Yes, ma'am," she said and obediently got off the bed and came to stand in front of Morticia."I'm ready for my bath,please," she added sweetly.

"Go brush your teeth first, young lady. I shall bathe you tonight, you wasted enough of Morticia's time."

"But Tish didn't finish reading 'Crime and Punishment' to me yet,"Ivy pouted unhappily.

"I will read it to you."

"But you don't do voices properly, Tish does them with a Russian accent," she complained and Morticia couldn't help when her lips curled into an amused smile at Eudora's outraged huff.

"Well, you should have thought of that before you wasted her time," Eudora interjected sternly."You know how busy she is, it's very inconsiderate of you to misbehave like that."

Ivy bowed her head sheepishly and her eyes immediately shone with tears.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time, Tish," she apologised in such a pitiful voice Morticia could barely stand it.

"Oh, darling, don't cry," she placated softly as she squatted in front of the little girl and put her hands on her arms. She could practically  _hear_  her mother-in-law rolling her eyes in exasperation."We shall continue with the book tomorrow, I promise. Alright?"

Ivy nodded happily.

"You and Gomez need to learn to discipline this child without turning into a puddle of mush every time she makes those big puppy eyes. She's doing it on purpose, you know," Eudora scorned gently as they watched Ivy disappear into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"You're right, mama, I know but…,"she hesitated before continuing."I just...don't feel comfortable reprimanding her, I'm not her…"

"My dear," Eudora interjected softly."You  _are_  her step-mother, you have every right to discipline her," Eudora pointed out.

She said it without a shadow of malice and Morticia knew she meant well but she couldn't help the feeling that she was being unfairly criticized and bit her lips in annoyance.

Admittedly, Morticia always possessed more poise and maturity than most of the people her age and that often projected an impression that she was more confident and experienced than she really was. Yet, the fact remained that she was  _only_  twenty-one, barely an adult herself and it was hard, to say the least, to put herself in a role of a stepmother to a five-year-old at the snap of her fingers. Parenting  _was hard_ as it was and she was getting an impression that everyone just expected her to fall into the swing of things, as if parenting skills should come to her naturally just because she was a woman. They didn't. She was out of her depth as much as her husband and half of the time she didn't know what the hell she was doing.

That being said, Ivy was generally well-behaved and Morticia often thought Eudora was unnecessary strict with her and was tempted to tell her to relax but she didn't want to sound disrespectful so she didn't. It was obvious that her mother-in-law's style of parenting was rather an old-school and vastly different to her own mother's who was generally more...well... relaxed - for the lack of better description - about upbringing of her offsprings. Morticia was trying her best to aim somewhere in the middle but that too sometimes didn't work all that well.

On top of that, her school schedule was more intense that she could've ever anticipated. Merely staying on top of her study material required a tremendous amount of work and that combined with her responsibilities of a wife and a stepmother resulted in Morticia feeling like she was constantly underperforming in all three areas. She certainly didn't need to be reminded of that by her mother-in-law, well-meaning as it may be.

"I didn't mean it to sound as a criticism," Eudora said softly which made Morticia realize that her ire was perhaps just a bit too obvious."It came out harsher than I intended."

"I'm really trying, mama, this isn't easy for me either," she found herself saying, her tone mildly defensive.

"I know, my dear," she said with a tender yet guilty look on her face."And you're doing a wonderful job, I never wanted to imply otherwise. I'm sorry if it came out this way -"

"- I'm done with my teeth, Grandmama!"

"I'm coming," Eudora replied before turning to Morticia again."You're doing great," she assured."Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise...even your mother-in-law."

* * *

Gomez winced slightly when the sharp edge of the razor cut into the skin of his cheek...again. Getting progressively exasperated with himself, he took one of his wife's cotton balls from the glass bowl and soaked it with his aftershave before dabbing the soft material into his nicked skin.

"Husband," the velvet half-laugh reverberated through the bathroom as his glorious enchantress sank deeper into her bath."I don't mean to criticize you superior shaving skills but you might get better results if you focus on the actual shaving rather than your not so furtive attempts at watching me bathe."

"How can I when there's a naked goddess behind me?" He reasoned with a cheeky smile.

"I fear you'll end up butchering that handsome face of yours," she retorted, finding his insistence on shaving twice a day quite hilarious.

"Ah, then I guess you'll have to kiss it all better," he retorted suggestively with a grin of his own.

"I guess I will since it appears I'm partly responsible," she commented with amusement as she watched her husband pick up a towel and wipe the remnants of the shaving cream before his face lost its amused sparkle.

He was still smiling when he squatted next to her bath but she thought the smile didn't reach his dark eyes.

"Darling?" she asked in a concerned tone and touched his cheek in a familiar, comforting manner.

He laced his fingers through hers and placed a soft kiss to his knuckles.

"Dr. Afzal called this morning," he said uneasily and watched her body stiffen visibly."He asked if I could bring Ivy over for a visit."

"Gomez, I can't take a time off now even if I sold my soul to the devil himself," she replied, her tone apologetic.

"I know," he whispered regrettably, placing a soft kiss to her hair."It's far from convenient, with Ivy starting school and all but I couldn't possibly deny Ivy seeing her mother."

"No, of course not," she agreed understandingly but, nevertheless, she felt a familiar stab of annoyance. On surface level she understood that he had to do it but it vexed her, undeniably so, this very fact that she had to, essentially, share her husband with Ivy's mother. As ridiculous as it seemed, she couldn't help feeling slightly resentful towards the woman."How long will you be gone?"

"Five days," he said."We'd fly Monday morning and come back Friday evening."

He could tell she wasn't pleased at the prospect. She pulled herself up and rested her pale forehead against his.

"I might go insane without you for so long," she admitted, only half-joking.

"It feels like my soul is being ripped out of my body to be away from you, even for a day, but I promise I shall make it up to you," he said and she watched his eyes illuminate with a mischievous spark."In fact," he added already climbing into the bathtub with her, not even bothering with removing his pyjama bottoms and attacking her lips in a loving kiss before she had a chance to react; unconcerned that half on the soapy water already sloshed out on the floor. He was immensely pleased when his action derived a delighted laugh from his sweet querida."I'm going to start making it up to you right now."

"You mad Castilian," she whispered affectionately against his lips, marvelling how his kisses never failed to make her stomach flutter, just as that first time when they kissed at the graveyard."I love you so much it's insane."

He smiled at her irresistibly and nipped at her lips teasingly before whispering:

"Ah, but that's the only way to love, cara mia."

* * *

Morticia bit her cheeks in an attempt not to laugh as she watched her husband sitting on a chair next to her, Ivy on his laps - both with identical, moody expressions on their faces.

"I'm so glad you've decided to bring Ivy to our school, Mr Addams," the vice-principal, a kind-faced, plump, middle-aged woman, cooed in an overly friendly manner."I'm sure she'll be very happy here."

"If I wanted her to be happy, I would let her stay at home," Gomez replied testily.

"Oh, it's only natural to feel apprehensive when your child starts school," the woman nodded understandingly before turning to Ivy."We have a lovely girl assigned to show you around, I'm sure you two will become friends."

"I changed my mind," Ivy said quickly."I don't wanna go to school, it's too noisy here, let's go home."

Morticia smiled sympathetically and stroked her hair back in a gentle manner.

"Let's at least give the school a fair chance before you decide you don't like it, shall we?"

"No, I don't think I like that,"she replied curtly and turned to her father instead, looking at him pleadingly."Gomez, let's go home."

Gomez was about to agree when he caught his wife's sharp look and immediately changed his mind.

"Hey, are you an Addams or not?"he asked instead.

"I am!"

"And what do Addamses do when faced with obstacles?"

"Give up!" his daughter replied promptly in a cheerfully confident tone.

He made a face.

"Not always," he muttered."I'm sure it will be fine, you'll meet new friends, you never know they may…"

"- Gomez!"

The trio turned in the direction of the door as a young girl, who Morticia thought couldn't be older than ten-years-old, entered the office.

"Hi," the girl said breathlessly with a happy smile.

Gomez looked at her with a cautious uncertainty.

"Hi," he said slowly, feeling his wife's and daughter's curious glances.

"I'm Kelly," she said, realizing he didn't recognize her."Kelly Newton."

Gomez laughed, suddenly recognizing the girl before him.

"Dear me, you've got old," he teased.

"It's been a long time," the girl grinned."Fancy seeing you here."

"Fancy seeing  _you_ here,"he replied."I thought you were at Gresham's."

"Oh, them," Kelly waved her hand dismissively."They kicked me out two years ago. Mother put me in St. Thomas', but I managed to get kicked out as well. And so hello public school!"she added cheerfully.

"Well done, that's inspiring,"he praised.

"Thanks!"

"Are you acquainted with Mr Addams, Kelly Ann?" the vice-principal enquired politely.

"Yes, ma'am," the girl confirmed cheerfully."He used to date my sister."

Morticia thought her husband looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here and she couldn't help but smirk at his discomfort.

"What a coincidence," she smiled warmly at the girl and could hear her husband's silent groan."I'm Mrs Addams, I've met your sister quite recently, you must send her my regards."

"I will," the girl replied politely and beamed happily."That your little girl?" she asked, pointing at Ivy who was currently hiding her face into her father's chest.

"Yes, it's her first day."

"Oh, cool, kindergarten is the best," she smiled at the little girl who half-turned to her, mildly curious."I'm Kelly, what's your name?"

Ivy glared at the girl warily for few seconds before finally lifting her head off her father's chest.

"Ivy Addams," she replied, turning fully towards the older girl.

"That's a lovely name," Kelly said, smiling friendly at Ivy before extending her hand towards her."Come on, I'll show you around. I'll tell you all my secrets of how to cause mischief without getting caught," she whispered conspiratiously and Ivy immediately beamed at her; to Gomez's unbridled surprise, she jumped off his laps and slipped her hand into Kelly's.

"Kelly Ann," the vice-principal's voice reverberated sternly through the office.

"Just kiddin, Mrs D."

"I've told you a million times not to call me that, young lady."

"Yes, ma'am, I forgot."

"You may take Miss Addams on a tour around the school now and then escort her to her class please," she said before regarding Ivy softly."Say goodbye to your parents Ivy."

"Bye Gomez, bye Tish," she waved at them before disappearing outside the door.

The vice-principal smiled at them.

"We'll take a very good care of her," she assured them before her expression turned serious and there was an unmistakable tinge of unease to her demeanor. "Mr Addams, I hope you don't mind me asking a personal question. I don't mean to pry, I want to make sure we meet your daughter's needs and to do that it's crucial for us not to make her uncomfortable by being accidentally insensitive."

"By all means."

"Thank you for your understanding," she smiled warmly before taking a quick glance at the paperwork in front of her."I've spoken to Ivy's social worker and we're of course aware of her situation. However, I noticed Ivy refers to you by your given name, is there any particular reason for it?"

Gomez shifted uneasily in his seat and gave out a tense shrug.

"We're just getting to know each other, things have been a little…"he faltered momentarily, looking for a right word."Tense."

"I see."

"It's an adjustment, for all of us."

"It certainly is," the woman confirmed understandingly. "Well, in any case she seems shy but a happy child, I'm sure she'll thrive here."

He could feel his wife's amused glance as they made their way back to the car where Lurch was already dutifully waiting to open the door.

"Your daughter just befriended you ex-lover's little sister," Morticia stated with a barely concealed amusement as she entered the green Packard."Thank you, Lurch."

Gomez half-glared at her over the roof of the car before he took his seat next to her.

"I know where you're going with it, Tish," he interjected, taking out one of his cigars from his breast pocket."The answer is still no."

"It's a clear  _sign_ , Gomez," she grinned at him menacingly.

"It's a sign that someone down there is having a lot of fun on my account," he groused making her laugh."Drop you at Aurora's?"

"No, the Council please, I think I will just make it for my second class."

"Council it is," he smiled at her before a thought occurred to him."You think she'll be fine there?"

"I'm sure she will," she took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze before placing a soft kiss on his cheek."Don't worry."

He only grunted in reply.

* * *

Despite the fact that Ivy lived with them merely for slightly over two months, Morticia was surprised how quickly she got used to having a child in the house; to the point where now, with Ivy at school until mid-afternoon, the house seemed to her eerily quiet.

Her father-in-law, especially, found the new routine upsetting, having got used to spending time with his granddaughter and their post-lunch strolls in the graveyard. He started to complain - to practically everyone and at every opportunity - about the dire realities American schooling system, constantly questioning the need for Ivy to go to school at all when all the Addamses were homeschooled throughout generations and what wonderfully rotten apples they've all turned out to be.

Ivy, however, to her grandfather's dismay, loved school. She's also developed a close friendship with Kelly and was all so eager to share the exciting fact that Gomez used to date Kelly's older sister which never failed to annoy the hell out of her father. Just as the fact that everyone found it hilarious, including his wife.

Nevertheless, Gomez - although initially shared his father's dismay about his daughter's schooling - quickly changed his mind when it turned out that, with the house now child-free until the late afternoons, Aurora decided they could conduct their lessons and training in the comfort of Addams mansion, instead of the Council or her apartment; which meant that Gomez Addams could steal his wife every now and then under the pretence that she needed a study break.

His aunt never failed to glare at him but, surprisingly and to his unbridled delight, seemed to willingly acquiesce to his interruptions. Hence, instead of being away for most of the day, Morticia now spent her mornings at the Council for her classes and was usually back home before lunchtime for her studies and practice with Aurora. Her husband couldn't be more pleased and she wasn't complaining either.

"The world of spirits is separated from ours, but we are both creations with the same purpose. Demons, however, possess powers not granted to humans," Morticia recounted dutifully - as it has been their ritual for the past few weeks, ever since her successful subduing of the demon. Aurora wanted to make sure Morticia knew by heart all there was to know about demons and she drilled her daily with the theoretical knowledge of the Dark Arts. She was of the unshakeable opinion that the key to learning was constant repetition, even or  _rather especially_  the material one was already familiar with. So much so that Gomez started to tease his wife that she was reciting her textbooks in her sleep.

"Demons belong to the spirit world,"she continued."But not all spirits are demons. Spirits, just like humans, are good and bad. They possess free will and the ability to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. Humankind is visible to spirits, but only selected humans can see spirits."

"Very good,"Aurora smiled, obviously pleased with her answer.

"Only demons interact with humans, usually by the means of possession."

"That is correct as far as the extension of our experience with the spirits goes, yes," Aurora agreed."There's no known or recorded case of an interaction between spirit and human with a spirit that's not a demon."

"Do you think it's possible, though?"Morticia inquired.

"I think anything's possible, but I have never encountered one myself or know of any such encounters," Aurora answered."I have, however, encountered many, many demons and if there's one thing I learned about them is that they are liars."

"That's what you say in the book," Morticia mentioned, tapping the deep green, hardback with her pen."You also write that humankind is of no significance to the spirits."

"That's true."

"Why do they bother then? With the lies and possessions, I mean? What do they gain from it?"

"It's impossible to know for sure, but my guess would be that it's... nothing."

Morticia frowned, utterly taken aback by her answer.

"Nothing?" she repeated in disbelief."What about that theory that there are certain hidden powers in humans that demons crave?"

Aurora made a face and gave an uncommitted shrug of her bony shoulders.

"There's no valid proof for that 'theory", it's more of an opinion or even wishful thinking,"she replied."After so many years of mingling among demons, I'm partial to the theory that they do it for the hell of it - fun. Psychotic, sadistic, deranged kind of fun but nevertheless; it's a form of amusement for them. They like creating havoc in the human world. Care for some more tea?"

Morticia nodded and took a teapot from its place on a silver tray before pouring the hot beverage into their respective cups.

"We are the only danger for them, really," Aurora continued." The witches. What you need to be wary of is that they will stop at absolutely nothing to possess you, especially the witch such as yourself."

"Because, I can destroy them," Morticia concluded.

"Precisely, you are as lethal to them as they are to you," Aurora agreed." And so you have to be constantly on your guard, they'll pursue your demise tirelessly and relentlessly."

"Is that how it is with you?"

Aurora's thin lips curved into a small, wilful smile as if she was sharing a private joke with herself.

"Well, yes and no,"she answered furtively, taking a small sip of her tea."I don't just go around killing every single demon I encounter. They don't cross me, then I don't cross them."

"What does it mean exactly?"

"Do you know who are the people most susceptible to be possessed?"

Morticia shook her head and looked at the older lady curiously.

"I always thought they are chosen at random."

"Yes, that's true but there are patterns," Aurora explained."You see, not all demons are equal. Some are more powerful than others, just like not all witches are equally powerful."

"So the weaker ones choose people that are more likely to be receptive to possession," she concluded and watched the older lady smile, pleased with her insight.

"Correct,"she said."Number one are very religious people, but not fanatics, I mean genuinely God-loving, goody-two-shoes individuals that long to be very close to their Creator and very often that's their downfall - they are very receptive to possessions. Two, people interested in magic as a means of gaining power - self-explanatory really, and number three are the witches."

"Isn't it difficult to possess a witch, though?"

"Not as difficult as you might think, you especially must be careful of possession."

Morticia frowned, somewhat taken aback by her statement.

"The ability to destroy a demon will protect you only in the case of a direct attack," Aurora explained."But do not underestimate the intelligence of a demon, they are extremely cunning, extremely intelligent creatures and excellent liars. They will lie their way through your mind."

"That's why you argue that the demon's possession of one's mind is far more dangerous than the possession of one's body?"

"Absolutely," Aurora agreed."When a demon possesses the body, it's obvious and then it can be quickly remedied. Possession of the mind is far more subtle. Demons are liars, remember that, they will promise you great knowledge with great powers, above and beyond anything you can imagine. And you'd be surprised how many witches fall for that because they forget what is the real source of their magic. It's vital that you're always aware of that."

Morticia looked at her hands, the burn wounds almost non-existent now. She knew. She knew exactly what Aurora's talking about. She remembered the enticing, almost irresistible pull of the dark force when the demon attempted to possess her. How easy would it be to just allow herself to succumb to that, even knowing full-well she would be inviting her own destruction. Nothing mattered to her then, not her husband, not her family, nothing except the overpowering pull of the darkness.

Could that ever happen to her? Would she ever put her magic above her husband, her family? She thought about it and felt a prickle of panic when she couldn't provide a confident answer.

"How do I keep the balance?" she found herself asking out loud.

Aurora smiled with, what Morticia thought was a relief, as if she was somehow comforted by her question. She wasn't sure what to think of that. She wasn't sure she was wanted to know.

"By constantly reminding yourself who you are and why are you who you are,"Aurora answered cryptically."You must understand that you will never arrive at the point when it will be enough, when you'll be able to say 'I finally know everything there's to know about the Dark Arts, my powers are absolute' - that will  _never_ happen and that's not your purpose. Your purpose is to keep the balance. And trust your heart - it's a fine guide in life, people always underestimate their hearts."

Morticia smiled and couldn't help but tease her gently.

"That's unexpectedly sentimental of you," she grinned when, predictably, the older lady let out an outraged huff.

"A moment of weakness," Aurora replied contemptuously but there was an undeniable facetious tone to it. "Don't mention it to anyone."

"Ha,"Morticia laughed at the very idea."Who'd believe me, anyway?"

* * *

The bedroom was so dark she barely knew where she was going until she bumped into the foot of the bed. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could finally distinguish between two bodies nestled together in bed.

"Tish," she whispered but the woman in question barely stirred so Ivy shook her arm firmly."Tish, wake up," she said pitifully.

Morticia's eyes opened in a sudden alarm and she blinked slowly in a surprise of seeing the little girl in their bedroom with an utterly miserable look on her face, clutching her belly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked gently and felt her husband already stir next to her.

"I don't feel well, my tummy hurts and my mouth feels funny," she complained.

"Ok, hold on," Morticia placated softly but resisted an urge to wince, because they were both utterly naked under the satin covers, neither of them bothered dressing in the aftermath of their lovemaking. She was thankful when her husband swiftly located and slipped into his pyjama bottoms and was out of the bed in a flash, throwing her her nightgown before coming to Ivy and touching her forehead gently.

"She's very warm," he said to his wife, pulling Ivy into a gentle hug so his wife could dress.

"I'll get her some water," she said, already putting her robe on and switched the bedside lamp on before moving in a direction of her dresser.

Gomez sat down at the foot of the bed and picked his daughter to sit on his lap and she leaned into him pitifully.

"Anything else hurts?" he asked, smoothing her blond hair off her face.

"No, just my tummy."

"Gomez, darling, be careful she looks like she's going to…"she faltered, a glass of water in her hand as she watched the little girl lean forward and empty the content of her stomach straight on her father's pyjama. She winced before adding :"Vomit."

"There are other ways to show affection, you know," he tried to joke but Ivy clutched her stomach and started crying in earnest.

"My mouth feels disgusting,"she sobbed.

"It's ok," Morticia placated."Come on, let's go to the bathroom and rinse your mouth."

"I don't wanna move, my tummy hurts."

"You're going to be sick again?" Gomez asked but to his relief she shook her head and leaned further into him.

Morticia put the glass of water away and picked the sobbing girl up in her arms.

"You might want to change, darling,"she said, looking at his soiled, silk pyjama bottoms before adding as she carried Ivy to the adjacent bathroom."I think we're in for a long night."

* * *

Hester Frump rolled her eyes as she watched Morticia help Ivy to a mixture of a lemon, garlic, honey and cyanide drink, that Eudora prepared, and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"These children nowadays, one little stomach flu and they're out cold," she said and turned to Morticia."Why, when you had pneumonia you ran around in the garden barefoot and a hundred-and-ten degrees fever."

"Mother, she almost died," Ophelia reminded her in a mild disbelief.

"Oh, nonsense,"her mother waved her hand nonchalantly."Two weeks in a hospital and she was back, bright and chipper like a little bat."

Ophelia turned to her sister and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Don't you wonder sometimes that it's nothing short of a miracle that we've survived until adulthood?"

"Every day," Morticia deadpanned.

"Oh, stop it you two, in my days - "

"Tishy, I think I'm gonna be sick again," Ivy announced in a faint voice and promptly vomited two seconds later. Morticia praised inwardly her sister's quick reflexes as Ophelia bolted from the chair and grabbed a metal bowl just in time as Ivy bowed down and emptied the content of her stomach into the bowl instead of Morticia's laps.

"I love you, Ophelia," she said with an undeniable tone of relief, patting Ivy gently on her back.

"I bet you do,"her sister replied with a mock-triumphant grin and turned to Ivy who stopped vomiting and had her mouth wiped with wet cloth by Morticia. "Don't you worry, little pet, Aunt Ophelia is here to save you."

The little girl snorted.

"You better, since it's all your fault anyway," she said menacingly with her eyes closed.

Ophelia gave out an outraged gasp and handed the bowl to Lurch who went out to the adjoining bathroom to clean it.

" _I_ didn't tell you to eat so much of those chocolate-caramel-fudge ice cream," she pointed out and next to her Morticia wrinkled her nose in disgust at the very description of the dessert.

"You should have stopped me," Ivy insisted crossing her arms defiantly and opening her eyes to glare at her aunt.

" _You_ said you can handle it!"

"Who listens to a five-year-old?"

Ophelia narrowed her eyes at the girl and opened her mouth to reply but no sound came. She heard her mother amused snort and next to her Morticia was clearly biting the inside of her cheeks in an attempt to stop the smile appear on her face. Ophelia glared at both of them.

"Now, now Ivy, you know it's not really Ophelia's fault,"Morticia said gently."The school said there are quite a few children absent with stomach flu."

"Hm," was the youngest Addams contemptuous response.

They've all turned as the door to the room opened and Gomez entered jovially carrying a black box in his hands.

"How is our little patient today?"

"Dying," Ivy mumbled.

"No Addams in history died of such pathetic ailments as stomach flu."

"I'll be the first then," she replied moodily.

"That sullen disposition really suits you," he complimented.

"I think so too," Morticia agreed."And look at her lovely pallor."

"Very becoming," he concurred happily."In any case, I have something that will make you feel better," he added, pointing at the black box he was holding.

"Nothing can make me feel better," his daughter retorted but took the box from him regardless, never the one to refuse a gift.

They all watched her open the box carefully and peer inside curiously before letting out a scream of delight.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed in disbelief."Is it really mine?"

"It is, indeed," Gomez grinned, clearly pleased with himself.

"Tish, look!" she pointed to the box and Morticia obediently looked inside.

"Awww, isn't it precious?" she cooed before turning towards her sister."Just look, he looks just like Lucifer."

Her sister wrinkled her nose and groaned.

"Lucifer? As in Lucifer - that damn pet tarantula of yours?" she asked in confirmation and Morticia nodded enthusiastically.

"Theraphosa blondi, straight from Venezuela," Gomez introduced. "His name is Beelzebub."

Ivy beamed at him happily before caressing the sleeping tarantula gently.

"I will love you forever, Beezle," she cooed and then, as if struck by a sudden thought, put the box aside and darted from the bed, wrapping her skinny arms around Gomez's legs squeezing them with all her might."Thank you, thank you so much!"

Gomez grinned, smoothing her blond hair in a tender gesture but next to them Ophelia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Gomez, you might want to move away, she looks like she's going to…," she tried to warn but it was too late for Ivy's face turned pale again and vomited straight on her father's shoes. Ophelia winced before muttering:"Vomit."

Gomez just rolled his eyes and shook his head in a good-natured exasperation.

"We really need to find a new way for your expressions of affection."

* * *

The air was sharp and felt of the upcoming first snow.

Ivy was more than excited to experience the frozen fluff which briefly dampened her enthusiasm of going to California to visit her mother. She has never seen the snow before and didn't want to miss it until Salvador assured her that it was just the beginning and there were still weeks of snow and cold weather ahead.

"I don't know how am I going to last without you five days," Gomez whispered against his wife's lips, pulling her to him even closer.

"You know I'd come along if I could,"she said apologetically.

"I know,"he kissed her softly."Remember to eat and sleep, ok? Academic success is not everything, you overachiever," he teased affectionately, drawing a gentle laugh out of her.

"You're starting to sound like my father," she replied and captured his lips in another ardent kiss."God, I'm going to miss you."

"I miss you already."

"- Gooomeeeez, come on," Ivy whined, leaning dramatically from the car window."I'm growing weeds here."

"Drama queen," he father replied goodnaturedly, still holding Morticia firmly in his arms.

"I wonder where did she get that from,"Eudora muttered under her nose eliciting an outraged huff from her husband.

"My dear, how many times do we have to go through this?"he asked in an exasperated tone."We are  _not_  drama queens, we are hot-blooded Castilians! There's a difference."

"Semantics," his wife answered with a careless wave of her hand before leaning closer to Ivy and placing a tender kiss to her forehead."Have a lovely trip, my darling. I hope you'll have lots of delightful turbulences. Give our regards to your mother."

"Ok, I will," she replied cheerfully before turning to her grandfather."Grandpa, remember to take care of Beezle while I'm away."

"I will, not to worry, Paloma," he smiled.

"And remember to tell him every night that I love him and I'm coming back very soon."

"I know."

"And promise you will kiss him gently on his head, just as I showed you, so he feels loved and appreciated."

"Ehm…"

"Promise."

"Can't Morticia do the kissing part?" he asked uneasily, not really looking forward to being seen kissing that measly, little creature.

"No, because Cleopatra gets jealous when she does."

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Eudora interjected with a vicious smile."I'll personally make sure Grandpa follows your directions, kissing and all."

Ivy smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank you, Grandmama, you're the best!"

"All ready to go, Mr Addams," Lurch reported dutifully as he finished loading their bags.

"Thank you, Lurch," Gomez replied before turning again towards his wife."I'll call you when we get to the hotel," he promised.

Morticia nodded and enclosed her palms over both sides of his handsome face before leaning forward and capturing his lips in a loving kiss.

"I love you," she whispered. "Try not to get your temper in the way."

"I love you too, querida mia," he replied. "I will be sweet and harmless as a baby vulture, I promise," he declared and she let out an amused snort of laughter.

"I would pay a good money to see that," she teased and smiled when he placed one last kiss to her lips and then to her knuckles before joining his daughter in the car.

They have barely made it through the gate when Ivy turned to him with a somewhat anxious expression on her face.

"Gomez."

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think she's better?"she asked him uneasily."If we can visit her, that means she's getting better, right?"

Gomez looked at his daughter thoughtfully, silently debating how to answer without blatantly lying to her. He remembered the words Rebecca's doctor used during their last conversation, terms like 'hopeful', 'encouraging' and other vague descriptions that people often used when they didn't have anything substantial to share which implied there was indeed very little progress.

"I hope so" he smiled at her softly and leaned closer to place a tender kiss to her hair and was happy when she returned the smile, seemingly accepting his answer and turned towards the window.

"Gomez look, snowflakes!"

* * *

Ophelia Frump sighed with an exasperation when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. Her mother was really overdoing it. She briefly toyed with an idea of pretending to be asleep but she's already done that twice today and a third time would surely send her mother into hysterics.

"Come in," she said with an unmistakable air of defeat.

It was simultaneously a relief and surprise when her sister's graceful form entered the bedroom and surveyed the room, that was in a total disarray. Clothes, empty food packets and at least eight bottles of nail polish scattered around the spacious bedroom.

"Oh dear, and I thought mother was exaggerating," she supplied in a manner of greeting.

"Lovely to see you too," Ophelia replied, digging into a paper bag for another piece of fudge before turning her eyes back to the television. Her daisies hung dejectedly.

Morticia smiled sympathetically before moving towards her sister and flopped, foregoing her usual grace, on the bed next to her.

"What's the matter?" she asked, nodding to the half-empty bag of fudge.

"Nothing," her sister muttered."Just not feeling like getting up from the bed for the ast three days."

"Okay," Morticia said but didn't press her sister any further, knowing very well she will share with her whatever the matter was only when she wanted to and no amount of coercing would change that. She settled herself against the pillows more comfortably and turned her eyes towards the TV where the couple just ended their kiss in a black and white motion picture.

 _You know how to whistle don't you, Steve?_ The woman on the screen said in her husky signature voice.  _You just put your lips together and… blow._

"Just watch how he looks at her," Ophelia said quietly, without taking her eyes from the tv."Like she's the most sublime being in the world, it's so beautiful," she added wistfully before turning to her sister. "This is how Gomez looks at you."

Morticia smiled at the comparison.

"Am I Lauren Bacall in this relationship then?" she asked in amusement and was glad when the question made Ophelia laugh.

"Well, you too have that dreamy look in your eyes when your husband is around," she supplied with a small smirk."He's a Bogart to your Bacall."

Morticia laughed, looking at her sister softly and reached towards her to move one of her daisies, that was currently resting depressingly on Ophelia's forehead, aside.

"Is it about Itt?" she asked gently and watched her sister's shoulders move in a careless shrug.

"No," she said finally, taking another piece of fudge."Or maybe."

Morticia said nothing but waited patiently for her sister to elaborate further.

"You see, it's not that I've expected a great love affair, I knew he's a dandy and he never promised me anything," she said and bit her lips thoughtfully."I think...I hoped, stupidly, that I can change him. He's so funny, smart and charming, you know? I fell for it like an idiot, even though I should have known better."

"Don't be so harsh on yourself, Ophelia," Morticia placated gently."Charm is a devious thing, a dangerous quality. Just ask Aurora," she added, eliciting a small smile from her sister.

"I know," she replied quietly before turning towards her younger sister."You know, that night when you announced your engagement to Gomez, I was so happy for you...I'm still so happy for you but honestly, I didn't think it's going to last at all," she added and watched Morticia laugh.

"I don't think you were the only one, don't feel bad," she quipped.

"I don't," Ophelia smirked."Because when I saw the way he was looking at you, I knew right and then that he'll worship you forever. That meeting you transformed him in a way that no one thought was possible and you'll always be the only woman in his heart. I thought that maybe it takes the right woman...you know, to change a man...and I was stupid, but I hoped that maybe, I could be that woman to Itt. Even though I knew he was dating other women, I still thought that... maybe if I was patient, if I gave him time…" she shook her head and rolled her eyes."Do you see how stupid that is? I was chasing a guy that never wanted me."

"That's not true," Morticia countered."Itt likes you a great deal. He's just a...well...a philanderer, there's no a nice way to put it."

"But so was Gomez, hell Tish, there's a plethora of broken-hearted females pining after your husband in this city."

"And a child out-of-wedlock, don't forget about that," Morticia deadpanned."I have also recently met his ex-lover and I must tell you she's an absolute joy to be around with."

Ophelia stared at her sister for a few seconds and then nodded, biting her pink lips thoughtfully before busting up laughing.

"Are you serious?" she asked between fits of laughter.

"I swear," Morticia grinned and then, solely for the sake of her sister's well-being and silently praying for her husband's forgiveness, she added:"In addition to that, on her first day at school Ivy befriended a girl who turned out to be my husband's aforementioned ex-lover's little sister."

"Jesus wept," Ophelia commented with her mouth hanging open in disbelief before the fits of mad laughter reverberated throughout the room.

On the other side of the door, Hester Frump pressed her ear to the door in a blatant attempt to overhear the conversation and smiled contentedly at the sound of laughter inside.

Admittedly, she was always the first to admit that she wasn't the best mother even though she loved her two daughters dearly. She couldn't help the fact that her own maternal instincts fluctuated perilously somewhere between an utter devotion and the animals that eat their young. Thankfully, her husband possessed enough love and devotion for their children to cover for both of them and her daughters never held a grudge either. They were content to take from her what she was able to offer them and never asked for more.

Nevertheless, this precarious arrangement resulted in a very strong bond between the two sisters, who, despite being different - quite literally - like a night and day, have never failed to love and look out for each other and that, more than anything, made Hester feel that she didn't do such a bad job as a mother at all.

* * *

"And then Tish caught him with Gomez's razor trying to shave off Cleopatra's leaves, can you believe it?" Ivy giggled, sitting on her mother's laps for the last half-an-hour, where she was telling Rebecca all the little details about her life at the Addams mansion.

"It sounds like he's quite a handful," Rebecca commented with a happy smile.

"He definitely is, isn't he, Gomez?"

"He is indeed," her father confirmed affectionately.

"But you will love Thing, he's fun and he likes to cuddle," Ivy continued before exclaiming."Oh, guess what! I have my own pet tarantula."

Rebecca frowned, not quite sure she heard correctly before she turned towards Gomez for confirmation.

"A pet what?" she mumbled in disbelief.

"Tarantula," he confirmed.

"His name is Beelzebub - Beezle - and he's precious!" Ivy explained excitedly. "He likes to wander around my room at night. Once I woke up with Beezle on the top of my head, he's a sweetheart."

"Oh, good Lord," Rebecca whispered in a tone of defeated exasperation. She was now getting the idea where her daughter's weird behavior was coming from. She loved Ivy to the bones, but the next time she'll get an urge to sleep with a charming, handsome stranger she'll be sure to whack herself in the head with a brick first. She was starting to suspect that when Ivy told her about Gomez's wife's pet lion, she didn't mean just a large cat as Rebecca initially thought, there was a huge chance she  _really meant a freakin' lion_. Just what kind of a madhouse was her daughter living in?"Do you like your new school?" she asked instead, it seemed like a safe,  _normal_ topic to talk about.

"Yeah, it's ok, my teacher is very nice and she says I'm very smart," she boasted."But guess what! There's this girl that I'm best friends with - Kelly - and Gomez used to date her sister and Kelly said she once caught them kissing in her sister's room - naked!"

Okay. Apparently, there were no safe topics of conversation.

Rebecca turned to Gomez who looked like he just ate a bag of lemons and was close to crying, she could not help but laugh.

"Jeez, aren't the two of us the sure recipients of the parents of the year award?" she teased and he was obviously surprised by her good-natured jest. He probably expected her to snap at him, which wasn't entirely unexpected, given how 'well' their last meeting went.

She was expecting him to come up with some half-assed excuse and refuse to bring Ivy to California but doctor Afzal assured her that Mr Addams agreed instantly and she appreciated the gesture. She could afford to be nice to him.

"No doubt about that,"he said with a small snort of laughter."Ivy, I need to go to speak to your mum's doctor, ok?"

"Ok, I still have to tell mummy how I turned Lumpy's hair pink," she snickered but then her eyes widened when she realized her mistake."Ehmmm…"

"Yeah, we'll speak about that later," her father said with an exasperated shake of his head.

Ivy turned to her mother with a sheepish grin on her face before exclaiming in a defensive tone:

"He deserved it, I swear, mummy!"

* * *

Gomez thought the good doctor looked like he wasn't looking forward to the upcoming conversation at all. His posture was so tense, Gomez thought he might snap any minute.

"Thank you for coming all the way here, Mr Addams," he started with a smile that looked forced and as artificial as the bunch of flowers on the window behind him.

"No problem."

"I wish I could give you better news, however," he continued as he sat forward, placing his hands on the wooden desk and linking his fingers together before regarding Gomez thoughtfully." Miss Howard is, what we call, a highly functional drug addict," Dr. Afzal said in an uncomfortable, tense manner."Which is a huge obstacle is her recovery because she doesn't see her addiction as a problem."

"A highly functional drug addict?" Gomez repeated, frowning at the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Yes, you see people often have a certain image of people addicted to substance abuse - drugs, alcohol - they think of a person who is at their bottom, their life ruined by their addiction and, admittedly, that's the truth for the majority,"he proceeded in a manner of explanation."But there is quite a substantial percentage of drug addicts who lead very successful lives: they are bankers, managers, entrepreneurs, artists, movie stars - you name it. Rebecca is a successful artist in her own right and she thinks it's partly due to drugs, she said it allows her to experience life in a way she wouldn't be able to otherwise and that it translates into her work. The fact is that she's young so her body handles the abuse quite magnificently but ... it's just a matter of time before it crashes down."

"So in other words, she's not planning on giving up drugs anytime soon, if at all," Gomez summed up somberly.

"That would be my assessment, yes," Dr. Afzal confirmed." Admittedly, she was successful in her second attempt at detox and she performed satisfactorily since then but my team and I are of an opinion that she will start taking drugs the moment she steps out of the clinic, so in that regard, we are forced to admit we've made no progress. She simply  _likes_  what drugs offer her, she doesn't see a problem with her addiction even though she admits she relies heavily on opiates, for her it's fun, it's a -"

"- lifestyle?" Gomez interjected.

"Precisely," the older man agreed, nodding."I would like to keep her here for the next twelve weeks, anyway. Dr Vale wants to try a certain different approach, see how it works."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We'll have to admit a defeat, I'm afraid."

"And Ivy?"

Doctor Afzal bit his lips thoughtfully before admitting in a sympathetic tone:

"We have assessed Rebecca's psychological and emotional profile quite thoroughly and at present, we are of an opinion that, despite the addiction, she's capable of looking after the child. She poses no danger to her daughter."

"I see," Gomez said morosely. So what now? He didn't know what to think of all that, what it implied."Thank you, doctor."

Dr. Afzal stood up and extended his hand towards Gomez.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news."

"Not your fault, you can take a horse to the water…"

"...but you can't make it drink it, I know," the doctor smiled somewhat sadly."I hope you and Miss Howard can agree on a suitable arrangement for your daughter, Mr Addams. We will assist however we can but, if I might offer some advice," he faltered waiting until Gomez nodded at him to continue."Do your best to do it without involving the custody battle. It rarely ends well for anyone involved."

"That's not the easiest of tasks, doctor," Gomez replied testily.

"I realize that," he confirmed in a placating manner before adding pointedly."But you need to make a decision that's best for your child."

Gomez almost winced in annoyance.  _What's best for the child_ , he thought in exasperation, what the hell did that doctor think was he doing here, in this blasted place, away from his wife if not attempting to do just that.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open and she was immediately aware of how wet her cheeks felt. Tears. She couldn't remember what was the dream about yet her heart was still hammering in her chest, her fingertips prickled with fear.

Morticia swung her legs off the bed and went to the dresser to pour herself a glass of water. She gulped at the clear liquid greedily, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was. The room seemed unbearably hot. She decided to open the window but even such a simple task took her few minutes to accomplish because her hands were shaking so badly. She breathed out in relief when the cold, night air hit her bare skin. The sky was covered with heavy clouds, the air was comfortingly dank with a rich deep smell of rotting wood.

She took a deep breath. Then another. And another. Slowly she felt the tightening in her chest subside until - with an unexpected abruptness - it was gone entirely. She frowned, half wondering if she perhaps imagined the whole thing.

She was going to pour herself another glass of water when something caught her eye and she inhaled sharply, dropping the glass and watched it shatter helplessly on the wooden floor.

Her whole hands were covered with blood. She could feel the crimson stickiness between her fingers. Its sweet metallic smell filled her nostrils and the smell, unexpectedly, made her stomach churn. Never before has she reacted this way at the sight of blood.

She swallowed heavily, suddenly confused and unsure what to do. She looked around for something, a cloth of some sort to wipe the blood but there was nothing at hand except her silk robe. She looked at her hands again, to make sure the blood wasn't dripping on the floorboards and faltered.

The blood was gone.

Is this a dream? One of those vivid creations of Morpheus that felt like … she pinched the delicate skin of her wrist and winced.

Definitely not a dream then.

What was it then? It's impossible she's imagined the whole thing.

She looked at the bedside clock. Nearly four in the morning. Too early for her to get a decent rest but she was too wide awake to go back to sleep now.

She made her way to the walk-in wardrobe and switched the light on, quickly locating the burgundy velvet robe her husband left here. She pressed the soft material to herself. It smelled of cigars and his earthy cologne and she let the scent to comfort her briefly before slipping into the garment and wrapping it tightly around her body.

"Come home," she whispered into the fabric."I need you, mon amour."

* * *

"Do you mope around the house, missing me like crazy?" he teased and laughed when she let out a dismissive huff.

"Yes, sans the moping," she smiled into the receiver, settling herself comfortably in the chair in the library. It was so good to hear his voice.

"You sound tired, Tish."

"Good Lord, have you been taking tips on how to flirt with your spouse from Aurora?"

"Apparently," he quipped, making her laugh."You ok, though?"

"I'm fine, I really miss you, the bed is too empty without you," she admitted.

"Mine isn't," he replied suggestively."There's a certain five-year-old jumping on it and the floor is lava."

Morticia laughed affectionately at the description.

"How did it go with her mother?" she asked and heard him inhale tiredly.

"Better than last time," he replied succinctly."She was more amicable but we didn't get to talk much with Ivy around. She told Rebecca about Kelly and Melanie," he added with an exasperated sigh and heard his wife's pearly laugh reverberate through the receiver."It's not funny, Tish."

"I really beg to differ, mon amour," she replied.

"Tish, don't tease, you know what your French does to me," he groaned.

"Oh, then you probably don't want to hear about the new lingerie I bought," she said innocently.

"What lingerie?" he asked in a raspy voice. She could imagine him gripping the receiver in an effort to subdue the images she was feeding him with.

"Well, it shouldn't really be called lingerie," she continued her innocent musings."There's barely any fabric there at all."

"God, Tish," he moaned."Do you know what I'm going to do to you when I see you? You're going to beg me to stop."

"Hmmm, promises, promises," she teased lightly but could already feel her body responding to his words in anticipation.

"- who are you talking to, Gomez?" the little voice piped up in the background.

"Morticia," he replied and the little girl promptly snatched the receiver, effectively ceasing any further adult conversation and Gomez almost sighed in annoyance.

"Tish!" Ivy greeted.

"Hello, darling," Morticia responded warmly."How is California?"

"Warm, no snow at all," the girl replied in a disappointed tone."I saw my mummy! We draw a picture for you together."

"Oh, thank you, that's so sweet, you must thank your mummy from me," she responded.

"You're welcome! Is it still snowing there?"

"Well, not much anymore, but they say it's going to be snowing heavily over the weekend, so you come back just in time."

"Yes! Gomez said we'll make a snow-monster!"

"Of course we will, if we don't freeze our bums first, it's getting really cold."

"- what is it, Gomez? Oh ok, I'll tell her. Gomez says you have nothing to worry about, he knows how to keep you warm."

* * *

"Darling," Eudora said as she entered the library, carrying the tray with a henbane tea, where her husband was pouring over his latest business deal proposal."Do you remember that lovely resort we used to holiday in when the boys were little?"

"The one run by that charming family of werewolves from Sweden?" he asked as his wife set the tray on his desk and sat on her husband's laps, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yes, that one," she smiled fondly."I was thinking we could take Ivy there for the weekend. She will love all the wild animals in the forest."

"You mean, tomorrow?"he husband frowned in confusion.

"Yes, tomorrow."

"But, my dear, she'll just be back from California, surely she's going to be too tired for a trip."

"Yes, I know it's not ideal, but you see Gomez is back tomorrow as well," she explained but her husband only stared at her blankly.

"And?" he prompted when his wife didn't elaborate any further.

"They were away for five days, dear," she explained but, to her annoyance, she was regarded with another blank stare.

"I don't follow."

Eudora rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Gomez hasn't seen his wife for  _five whole days_ , Salvador, do you know what that means?"

"Oh."

"Exactly."

"Tell Lurch to pack our bags."

* * *

Gomez Addams absolutely despised travelling by plane. Despite its being an indisputable and impressive technological advancement, he thought it lacked the sense of style and adventure that his favourite form of travelling provided - trains. There was something old-fashionably enticing about travelling by trains.

Nevertheless, planes were certainly more time efficient and he didn't want to be away from his sweet querida a second longer than it was necessary.

He was surprised when his parents met them at the airport and announced that they were going away for the weekend and taking Ivy with them, Lurch as well. Suspicious as it was, he wasn't about to argue with them when Ivy was beyond excited at the prospect and, needless to say, so was he since it meant a whole weekend alone with his beautiful wife.

He couldn't help but grin at the prospect. He missed her immensely, he could not wait to hold his darling witch in his arms. He closed off the water and grabbed the towel, drying himself quickly and wrapped the dark purple towel around his hips. He took a pot with his favourite pomade, picked a hearty dollop of the sticky substance before rubbing it between his hands and, with a practised ease, smoothed it through his wet hair, promptly following with the comb.

He faltered at the sound of the bedroom door opening and then closing with a soft click and felt his heart hammer in his chest in anticipation. He opened the tap to wash the remainder of the pomade off his hands, wiping them into the towel he was currently wrapped into.

Morticia exhaled audibly and her face illuminated with a pure joy at the sight of him as he stepped out of the steamy bathroom.

It took them a split second to fall in each other's arms and immediately their lips joined in a ravenous kiss.

"Gods, you taste delicious," he rasped. "I missed you so much, querida."

"Those were the longest five days in the history of humanity," she whispered against his lips, already pulling the towel from around his hips in a purposeful manner."Oh, darling, I want you so much, I feel like my body is on fire," she added and captured his lips in another hot kiss, pressing herself against him and they both moaned in unison.

His hand went to the back of her neck and he proceeded to pop the buttons of her dress in a familiar move. He tugged at her dress impatiently until the annoying material pulled at her feet and he let out a low growl at the sight of his wife, clad only in a black, lace lingerie and her enticing stockings. He almost forgot how breathing worked.

He pushed her roughly on the bed and immediately covered her body with his and she moaned deliciously. He disrobed her in few swift moves, his hands immediately roamed her body hungrily as his lips kissed every inch of her glorious flesh.

"Gomez, mon amour, mon savage please - " she moaned when he claimed her lips in a wet, ardent kiss. She wrapped her legs around him and gasped when he drove into her roughly.

Her urgent, delicious moans surrounded him and he felt himself drowning into the exquisite sounds. He was aware of nothing else but her soft cries of pleasure against his skin, her whispering his name, the sultry French endearments, her nails digging gloriously into his back and the velvet softness that was tightening around him, pulling him violently over the edge with her.

He felt her pulling him tighter against her body, their breathing still sharp, laboured. He lifted his head from the crook of her neck to look at her and he was lost, defeated by the emotions in her eyes. Their lips crashed together in such a painfully tender kiss he felt it gnaw at the very core of his soul.

"Welcome home, Mon amour."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, kudos, comments and support! Here's Chapter 12.

**Chapter 12**

The cold, December air hit him immediately the moment he opened the terrace door and he faltered momentarily at the sensation. His velvet robe offered little protection from the biting chill. Gomez closed the door behind him with the soft click, to alert her to his presence, and watched her turn her head towards him in a sharp motion. He didn't particularly like the emotions that crossed her face. She clearly wasn't pleased he found her here...again.

"It's three o'clock in the morning, Tish," he said softly, purposely ridding his voice of any traces of impatience that was coursing through him. He leaned heavily against the door, folding his hands behind him.

"I know," she replied testily and tightened her grip on her teacup, looking away from him and towards the vastness of the graveyard.

"This has to stop, you can't keep on going without sleep for much longer."

"I sleep," she replied defensively and pushed the stray hair off her face in an abrupt manner.

"Three hours is  _not_  sleeping," he snapped.

"Please keep your voice down," she turned to him with an annoyed glare."No need to wake everyone up."

He sighed and came to stand before her and went down on his knees, wrapping his hands gently around her ankles. Her skin felt ice cold.

"It's been over a week," he pointed out."You'll get yourself sick."

She didn't say anything but looked away from him again. She was suddenly filled with a ridiculous anger that he called her out on it. She knew he loved her and was worried about her, she knew that. She understood. Yet, she wished he would just ignore it, let it pass as she was convinced it would eventually will if she only preserved. Why couldn't he just leave her be, let her deal with it by herself, she thought, and immediately felt a surge of guilt and turned towards him with a soft expression on her face.

"You worry too much, darling," she said tenderly, forcing a smile to her face and made a move to caress his face but faltered when she noticed how badly her hands were shaking. And, of course, he noticed too.

"God damn it, Tish," he rasped shakily, taking her half-empty cup from her and pulled her into a tight embrace."How can I help you?"

She didn't reply but inhaled deeply and leaned further into him, allowing his earthy scent, his warmth and strength to soothe her.

"It's just nightmares, darling, it will pass," she said without much conviction. How could she explain to him this overwhelming fear that engulfed her each night? The nightmares, she could not even remember, that tore her abruptly from her sleep and left her shaking with fear and panic until the early hours of the morning? She wondered, were those dreams - those nightmares, means through which the Dark Forces were testing her - how easy would it be to break her? More to the point, was the very fact that she was sitting here, in the biting cold, shaking like a leaf in the wind, barely able to hold herself together, a proof that she was already failing?

Yet, she felt perfectly fine during the day, if not accounting for the fatigue from the lack of sleep, or even when she fell asleep each night next to her husband. Then, in the middle of the night, she would be startled from her sleep by such an inexplicable fear she struggled to breathe.

The first few nights, she was so overwhelmed by it that she woke her husband up - in panic - and he held her in his arms, stroking her hair and talking to her softly until she stopped shaking and was eventually able to return to sleep. That was indeed over a week ago and since then not a day, night, has passed without the nightmares. She felt incredibly guilty seeing him so exhausted from the lack of sleep because of her and so she finally decided to stop waking him up and eventually found herself each night on the terrace, curled on the bench with a hot cup of henbane tea, waiting for the fear to leave her as it inevitably did each morning. It was freezing outside but she welcomed it. She could pretend she was shaking because of the piercing cold rather than an indefinable fear.

Gomez urged her to speak to Aurora. He was probably right. He  _was_  right, she should but what was she going to tell her? That she, Morticia - a Dark Witch with a unique ability to kill a demon - was afraid of nightmares, that she was subdued by mere dreams? It was unthinkable, it sounded so utterly ridiculous she almost laughed out loud but, of course, she didn't. Still, she absolutely refused to be subdued by something as trivial as nightmares. She was a Dark Witch, she should be stronger than that - she  _was_  stronger than that.

Then, of course, she knew there was another side of the coin, the side that really bothered her. The very reason she hesitated going to Aurora. What if all this was a sign that she was just unsuitable for the Dark Arts. If she was struggling so much this early in her training, how would she handle it when things will get really challenging as she knew they inevitably will?

All her life she was so strongly drawn to the dark forces, she felt they were part of her but what if they weren't? If it was just an illusion, her wishful thinking. What if she was chasing something never meant for her in the first place? After all that time, all her hard work, her dedication and commitment - the reality of such prospect, the sheer humiliation of it was just too much for her to bear and she could not - she would not - face it.

"Tish - " his gentle voice interrupted her contemplations but she shook her head to stop him from saying anything further.

"Don't," she said firmly."I don't want to talk about it and I don't want to argue."

Gomez resisted an urge to exhale impatiently at her stubbornness and his eyes prickled with frustrated tears that she refused to be helped even though it was painfully obvious, to both of them, that all the sleepless nights took their toll on her. She snapped at him every time he expressed his concern, which was in itself worrying because it was so uncharacteristic of her to do that. It wasn't in Morticia's nature to be argumentative, it wasn't in her nature to be unreasonable. Admittedly, she apologized each time the tart reply left her lips and told him not to worry but how could he not? Even his mother mentioned her concern that his wife looked too tired, she was pushing herself too hard and wasn't eating properly, not to mention the copious amount of coffee she was consuming to keep herself alert during the day.

He felt so worried and frustrated he thought of confining to his father-in-law, perhaps he would be able to talk some sense into his daughter but Gomez was hesitant to do that because he knew how she'd loathe it. If there was one thing he learnt about his wife these past week, it was that whereas she was always eager to help everyone with their problems, she was extremely reluctant to share hers with absolutely anyone, even her husband. He was truly taken aback by this fierce stubbornness and wasn't sure how to handle it.

"How long do you want to keep this up? Do you really think no one can see that something is wrong? Do you think Aurora will not call you out on it?"he pointed out sternly."How long until you collapse from exhaustion?"

He felt her hands fist into the soft material on his robe, her body tensed visibly.

"I can handle it," she insisted and he had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from saying something he knew he would regret later. He hated arguing with her but it was absolutely bizarre that the same Morticia who would go to the hell and back to help those she loved, was absolutely adamant in her refusal to be helped herself. She got immediately defensive and refused to discuss the matter any further.

"Come on, let's go back inside" he whispered in defeat and held her a bit closer, feeling her willowy arms embrace him tighter and her faint nod against his arm.

"You don't need to carry me," she laughed quietly when he picked her up in his arms.

"I like it," he said, placing a soft kiss on her red lips."And you like it."

"I do," she admitted, wrapping her arms around his neck a little lighter."And you do it so well," she added resting her forehead against his."Let's go to bed, I want to make love to you."

She hoped her words would distract him from the matter at hand but her husband looked at her thoughtfully before capturing her lips in a kiss that was almost painful in its tenderness.

"I love you, Tish," he said in a tone that sounded more like an apology than a proclamation of love and her heart almost shattered at the ache and longing in his voice.

"Mon amour," she caressed his cheek before pressing her lips to his again.

* * *

Ivy Addams opened the front door in a swift gesture, obviously startling the man at the doorstep who took a surprised step back upon seeing her. Ivy narrowed her eyes, taking in the brown-haired man before her. She noticed he wore his hair pomaded and combed to the back just like her father did but his eyes were startlingly blue. Azure - she remembered the name of the colour, it was her mother's favourite, the colour of the cloudless sky.

"Hello," she said politely.

"Ehm, hello," he replied as if unsure he was talking to a real person."Who are you?"

Ivy frowned and tilted her head at the question.

"Who am I?" she asked bewildered, pointing to herself."Who are you? You are in my house, you should introduce yourself first...sir."

"Fair point," the man agreed and his lips curled into an amused smirk."My name is Alexander Richards Spencer, I'm here to see Gomez Addams," he introduced himself and bowed to her gallantly.

"Oh, are you a friend of my daddy's?"

Alex blinked at the little girl, entirely sure he just misheard her.  _Her what?_

"Your...you mean Gomez?"

The girl nodded and Alex frowned. Addamses or not, there was no way this girl was Gomez's daughter, she was way too old, way too blond. Not to mention Gomez and Morticia have barely met how on earth could they already...unless they've adopted her or...ooooohhh...oooohhh damn that can't be good. If she really was Gomez's daughter then perhaps it would be prudent to check if his best friend was still married.

"He's in the library," she said and, without waiting for his reply, took his hand and lead him into the house and into the library where, sure enough, Gomez Addams was at his desk, pen in his hand, tapping it rhythmically into the oak furniture as he poured over some documents. He looked up upon hearing the door open and his face brightened at the sight of the two people at the door.

"Alex, old man!" he exclaimed happily, already making his way towards them. Happily enough for Alex to breathe out in relief."Good to see you. I see you've already met Ivy."

"Indeed," his friend replied."Got something to share?" he added motioning to he little girl beside him.

"She's my daughter," Gomez explained laconically, ruffling the little girl's hair gently and earning himself an annoyed glare. Seeing his friend's expression that bordered somewhere between bewildered and annoyed he added hastily: "Long story."

"You don't say."

"It turns out my law degree is not the only thing I have managed to acquire in England," he replied sardonically once they were left alone and motioned to his friend to take a seat at the chair opposite his desk while he busied himself with preparing them two glasses of cognac.

"And her mother?" Alex enquired, accepting the drink and watched Gomez wince slightly at the question as he sat back in his leather chair behind the desk.

"Even longer story," he replied in a tone that indicated that he was not in the mood to share that particular tale either.

"Fair enough," Alex commented succinctly before reaching to his breast pocket and producing a festively coloured envelope."An invitation," he explained."For you and your gorgeous wife to attend my famous annual Christmas party. This year theme - Vanity Fair."

"Like every year,you mean" Gomez smirked accepting the envelope.

"Touché," his friend laughed."Though, I must confess, the invitation is not the only reason behind my gracious visit."

"Fire away."

Alex smiled but raised his both hands in a gesture of warning: "Hear me out first before you say anything."

"You want me to take on a case, don't you?" Gomez said knowingly.

"Yes, but don't say anything until you hear me out, it's your favourite - homicide and a crime of passion," his friend confirmed and tried his utmost not to smirk when Gomez's face instantly illuminated with curiosity.

"I'm listening."

"Our client is the owner of a gentlemen club on the East Side - which is where our first meeting will take place if you graciously agree to take the case."

"There's no such thing on the East Side…" Gomez countered immediately."Surely, you don't mean… have you lost your mind? I'm a married man, I can't possibly go to a business meeting in a strip club."

"Why the hell not, is your wife under the impression that you led a life of a Buddhist monk before you met her?"

Gomez couldn't help but smirk at the expression.

"Indeed, with the explicit evidence of said lifestyle running around the house."

"We're not going there to watch naked women, Gomez, it's a  _business meeting_  - it's not my fault the client wants to conduct the meeting on her own turf."

"Her?"

His friend nodded.

"She found her husband cheating on her with one of the girls...so she killed him."

"Rightly so," the soft, amused voice reverberated from the direction of the door and Gomez grinned at the sight of his enchanting wife, leaning against the doorframe. She certainly looked much better, less fatigued.

Except he didn't believe this act for a second. Not when each morning he found her up and ready for the day before he had so much of a chance as to blink the remnants of sleep from his eyes. That in itself was suspicious, for his wife abhorred waking up early, hence he suspected she most probably still wasn't sleeping well or at all and she simply got really proficient in sneaking out of their bedroom without waking her husband up - which was a skill in itself for Gomez was always a very light sleeper. She was also very skillfully steering their conversations away from her...sleeping problems. She obviously didn't want to blatantly lie to him but neither was she eager to address the situation. Hence, he was sure as hell that whatever Morticia Addams was doing to appear like she wasn't on a verge of collapsing, it definitely didn't involve sleeping - not much of it anyway.

"Morticia," Alex was already on his feet, placing a quick kiss to her hand."You look even more radiant every time I see you."

"All right, you smooth-talking bastard, the lady is already married," Gomez interjected in a half-amused, half-annoyed tone before Morticia had a chance to reply but her lips curled into an amused smile.

"You never know, old chum," Alex teased still holding on to Morticia's slim hand."One day this enchanting creature might get tired of you and then...who knows what might happen."

"I know," Morticia replied with a serene smile, slipping her hand out of his hold and made her way gracefully towards her grinning husband who wasted no time, pulling her firmly to sit on his laps the moment she came to stand next to him.

"I just wanted to let you know that we're about to leave for the evening," Morticia announced." Mother's decided to host a poker night tonight, ladies only, I'm taking Ivy with us - mama says the younger she starts on gambling the better."

"Indeed," he concurred with an affectionate smile."Just remember not to allow that pink whirlwind to mix wine with that revolting gooey candy again."

"After what happened last time?" she reminisced raising her shapely eyebrow."I think we should ban her from wine drinking entirely."

"She doesn't handle her wine well," he agreed."I tried giving her some brandy but she said she'd rather drink a paint thinner."

"Oh well, each to their own," she shrugged.

"Splendid!" Alex exclaimed happily, clasping his hands together." Now, that your evening plans have cleared up, you can come with me to the business meeting."

"No."

"Morticia, help me please," he pleaded, placing his hands together in a praying gesture.

Morticia turned to her husband for explanation.

"Business meeting?"

"It's the case Alex wants me to help with, the client owns a... gentlemen club and wants us to meet her there."

Morticia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully before regarding Alex sceptically.

"You're asking me to convince my husband to go out with you drinking in some seedy bar?" she clarified.

"Yes!... I mean no!" he denied before adding in an outraged tone:"It's a  _business_ meeting."

"In a seedy bar?"

"It's a respectable establishment," he insisted, ignoring Gomez's amused snort.

"It's a strip club."

"A respectable strip club."

"Isn't that an oxymoron?" Morticia countered with a wilful smile.

"Now you're just being picky, those girls are working  _very_  hard."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that,"she agreed."I'm just not sure I want them doing all their hard work anywhere near my husband."

"Oh please," Alex groused."He's so enamoured with you, the poor chap wouldn't even notice if they put Venus herself in front of him."

"What is Venus when I'm married to the embodiment of all perfection?" Gomez asked, already placing a myriad of loving kisses along Morticia's arm.

"See, you've ruined him," Alex pointed out, drawing an amused laugh from Morticia, before adding:"Look, all the evidence points to our client, there's a motive and her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon," he explained."I spoke to her, she's non-compos mentis - a maniac - guilty as sin. She said she accidentally stabbed the victim in the chest four times."

"It happened to my aunt Laborcia quite a few times," Gomez admitted.

"There's only one person on this planet to get her out of this mess - and that is an even bigger lunatic than she is - Gomez, the jury will eat out of your hand."

"Look how he's buttering me up," Gomez grinned looking at his wife who smiled and nodded in agreement."Isn't he adorable?"

"Oh, by all means, darling, go," she grazed her vermilion nails against his cheek."We'll probably not going to be back before midnight anyway. You can tell me all the gruesome details later."

"Have fun,"he said, placing a warm kiss to her crimson lips." Watch out for mama, she's an excellent cheat."

"Then she'll have time of her life with Mabel - she lies as easily as she breathes."

* * *

It was well after one o'clock at night before Gomez managed to get back from that sorry excuse for a business meeting. The woman, their client, was indeed delightfully mad and guilty as sin. The case itself was impossible, practically indefensible and so Gomez was more than happy to agree to be her defence lawyer. Nothing like a good challenge to keep his mind off the other challenges at hand. He had to admit it felt good to have something else to occupy his mind with.

Unfortunately, as a token of her appreciation, the woman insisted on presenting Gomez with one of the girls - on the house - and was deeply offended when Gomez politely declined. She was vastly protective of 'her girls' and proud of the, as she neatly put it, 'high-quality services' they offered. Bizarrely, the fact that Gomez was married didn't seem like a valid reason to her either, even though she was in this whole mess exactly because her husband insisted upon using those high-quality services himself, which Gomez was quick to point out. However, as the lady explained, it's not the infidelity itself that bothered her for she was aware of it for years now. No, it was the sloppiness on her husband's part to keep his affairs hidden - which she insisted was truly bad manners. Indeed, she - a loving wife that she always has been - warned him numerous times that if she ever caught him in flagrante delicto he would be as good as dead and Abigail Benedict-Covey was as good as her word.

Gomez was still smiling when he pressed the handle lightly and pushed the door open in a gentle move, making sure the creaking did not wake up his wife. The bedroom was covered in darkness except for the faint light that was peeking from under the bathroom door. There was a sound of running water.

He felt his gut instantly tighten with apprehension. He frowned, silently pondering whether he should go inside until a sharp sound of shattering glass made that decision for him. He pressed the door handle hesitantly and pushed it open, slowly, so he wouldn't startle her.

The bathroom mirror above the sink was in shatters.

Morticia turned towards him sharply, her breathing erratic.

"I'm sorry," she choked out.

"It's ok," he said gently, slowly making his way towards her.

"I can't get the blood out," she explained, her voice quivering she was shaking so badly.

"It's alright," he said understandingly, even though there was not a drop of blood anywhere."Let me help you," he continued in a soft voice as he took the hand towel and closed the tap. He took Morticia's hands and dried them gently before pulling her slowly towards himself. He was relieved when she came willingly.

"Stay here, I shall put the fire up," he said gently, once they were back in the bedroom, and put his robe around her shoulders as she kneeled near the fireplace.

"No, stay with me please," she whispered, but there was still clear panic in her voice so he just nodded and wrapped his arms around her tightly, sitting behind her and pressed a soft kiss into her temple. He watched her flex her fingers as if checking how badly they were still shaking. Seemingly satisfied, she muttered something he couldn't quite catch and flicked her fingers. Within second the heath filled with a roaring fire.

"Neat," he commented, deliberately putting a light tone to his voice."At least now I know how you managed to burn that school down."

She let out a shaky laugh and leaned further to his embrace.

"You could save Lurch a lot of work," he added.

"I've done it once when you were away in California, and he sulked for three days, complaining that he's becoming obsolete," she said and he was glad that her voice sounded more confident now, although she was still shaking profoundly.

He let out a gentle chuckle at her words but then sobered again.

"Why is this happening to you?"

She didn't reply immediately but leaned into his embrace, linking her fingers firmly with his. He was fully expecting her to ignore the question, but to his surprise she didn't.

"I think…," she said faintly."It..the dark forces, they're testing me...my strength, how much of a threat I am to them."

He nodded, even though it didn't make much sense to him.

"This cannot go on, Morticia," he said firmly. "Why don't you speak to Aurora? She'll help you."

Predictably, he felt her stiffen in his arms.

"I can't run to Aurora with every little thing, Gomez," she said in an exasperated tone.

"This isn't a little thing," he snapped.

"You don't understand," she shook her head.

"What is so awful about sharing this with Aurora?" he asked, getting progressively exasperated with her attitude. "Are you afraid of being seen weak? Is that what it is about?"

"Gomez, please…"

"You  _need_  help, Morticia " He insisted but again she shook her head. This was ridiculous, he didn't understand why was she being so stubborn.

"I only need you, mon coeur," she whispered turning her head towards him. "You make everything better."

* * *

Gomez Addams knew all relationships, marriages especially, have their share of challenges. He understood that it was ridiculous and unreasonable to assume that somehow his marriage would be different. Even his parents' marriage, seemingly perfectly matched as it was, went through some rocky moments. Gomez loved Morticia more than words can convey, he adored her, he worshipped her - he would do anything for her, all she had to do was ask. And yet, that turned out to be a problem in itself.

Her behaviour was so unlike her he was completely unsure how to approach her. Whenever he mentioned asking Aurora for help Morticia's instant reaction was anger, as if she was offended he dared to suggest it at all. If he pressed her further, she retorted to panic - begging him to keep the whole thing between them, to give her time, to trust her, assuring him she can handle it herself. And he, stupidly, acceded to her pleas even though they didn't make sense, even though it was hurting her and he berated himself for not having enough guts to do what he knew he should even if she would hate him for it. He should just go to Aurora behind her back but it would mean betraying Morticia's trust and the very thought was to him despicable. Yet, he knew he couldn't let this situation, that had disaster written all over it, to continue any longer. He was exhausted, worried and above all frustrated - more with himself and with his wife.

He took a deep breath, in a futile attempt to calm his nerves, and suddenly it was all too much and he swung his hand across the desk in one swift move, sending the stationary as well as his paperwork flying, before gripping the edges of the desk so firmly his knuckles turned white. His eyes prickled with angry tears.

"Trouble in paradise?"

He tensed and turned sharply towards the direction of the unwelcome voice. Aurora Addams stood next to the bookshelf, an amused expression on her face, her hand casually placed on the green book entitled 'Greed'. He promptly tried to school his expression into his usual nonchalant manner but he could see it was too late, for Aurora already made her way towards him, her piercing gaze, as usual, seemed to go right through him.

"Gomez,"came his aunt's concerned voice and it took all of his willpower not to look away."Everything alright?"

"Never better," he replied promptly. Too promptly, he thought, as Aurora narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously and motioned for him to come closer.

"What's going on?" she whispered as if she already knew.

"Nothing."

She nodded and looked at him pointedly, placing both of her hands over her walking stick.

"You know,"she said slowly."When you lie your moustache twitches."

"It does not," he countered immediately. He was an excellent liar and proud of it.

"It does so. Ever since you were a child, that little bit right there in the corner," she said, pointing to the right side of his mouth.

His first thought was going to dismiss her but suddenly his need to share this with someone was so overwhelming he just couldn't stop himself.

"She…"he faltered. The unbearable feeling of betrayal felt like a stab in the heart."She has nightmares," he said finally forced the words out and watched Aurora's eyes widen with an alarm.

"What kind of nightmares?"she asked promptly.

"She didn't say," he whispered as if afraid Morticia might overhear them even though he knew she was at the Council."But not the good kind. She doesn't sleep well, she barely sleeps at all. It jolts her out of her sleep, it scares her, her whole body shakes…"

"That's why she looks so exhausted lately," she said more to herself than to Gomez but he nodded nevertheless."How long has this been going on for?"

Gomez shrugged.

"I think it started when I went away to California, though she didn't mention anything then," he explained."It's been more than two weeks now."

Aurora's face twisted in an angry surprise.

"Then why the hell am I hearing about this only now?" she asked sternly.

Gomez gave out another shrug before admitting: "She didn't...she doesn't want you to know."

Aurora's frown deepened and Gomez thought for a moment she looked hurt by his explanation, but the expression was gone as soon as it appeared, so he couldn't be sure.

"Does she see things?" she asked instead.

"What things?"

"Things you can't, things that are not there," she explained and watched his eyes narrow in a momentary contemplation.

"Blood," he finally said."Two days ago...she broke the mirror when she couldn't get the blood off her hands...she….there was no blood on her hands, Aurora...there wasn't any blood anywhere. She made me promise not to tell you and I don't know what to do…how can I help her?"

"You can't," his aunt replied understandingly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder."Leave it to me. You don't mind if I borrow Lurch for a while, do you? I have a friend I need to pay an urgent visit to."

* * *

Morticia knew something was off the moment she came home from her classes even though her husband greeted her, in his usual fashion, with a ravenous kiss; yet she could practically feel the tension in it, the regret...the guilt. When he requested to speak to her in private she was absolutely sure she was not going to like whatever it was that was eating at him.

"You've told her?" she repeated in disbelief in the privacy of their bedroom.

"I had to," he explained desperately.

"How could you do this to me?" she accused in a breathless whisper and he felt a sharp stab in his gut at the sadness and disappointment in her voice."You promised not to tell anyone, I trusted you."

"Tish, cara mia, please understand," he pleaded and tried to embrace her but she slapped his hands away and glared at him.

"Don't touch me," came her low hiss, her eyes shone with unshed, angry tears."You've had no right."

"The hell I haven't!" he snapped, suddenly furious, and she looked at him startled - clearly taken aback by the anger laced into his voice."What the hell did you expect me to do? Wait until you wither away because you won't let anyone help you?"

"Oh, well, you're the one to talk."

"You can't demand from me to stand by and do nothing," he fired back."You're exhausted, I'm exhausted - this can't go on."

"My sincere apologies for being inconvenient," she replied tartly.

"You know damn well it's not about that," he replied in kind."You're not dealing with it, Morticia, it's dealing with you. You  _need_ help."

"You don't get to decide what I need," she retorted sharply. She thought he looked like she just slapped him and she knew she might as well have. She thought her heart might shatter with guilt."Darling, I'm sorry," she apologized immediately and came closer to him, framing his face between her hands. She could see he was involved in a colossal struggle not to get his temper the best of him and was glad when he relaxed visibly under her touch."I didn't mean it...I...," she whispered and pulled him into a firm hug."I don't know why I said that. I'm sorry."

He hesitated only for split second before wrapping his arms around her slender frame.

"Do you see what it's doing to you? This is not you, Morticia" he whispered into her raven hair."I just want to help you."

"I know," she said softly, lifting her head off his shoulder to look at him."I know, darling you're right. It's just...I'm not used to that... I thought I could handle it myself."

He let out a mirthless half-laugh.

"Funny, this is what I always thought about myself," he said and felt her shake with a soft laughter. "But my wife showed me there's no shame or failure in letting others help you even when you think you can handle it yourself... _especially_  when you think you can handle it yourself."

"Ok, point well taken," she said sheepishly and looked at him tenderly."I'm sorry, mon amour."

"Me too, I don't want you to feel like you can't trust me, Tish," he whispered hoarsely."I didn't want to tell her but I didn't know what else to do."

"I do trust you," she assured and kissed him gently before, suddenly, letting out a loud groan of defeat and buried her head in his chest."Gomez, she's going to wring me through a meat-grinder for this."

Well, he thought as he smiled sympathetically into her hair, there was absolutely no doubt about that.

* * *

She would rather be wrung through a meat-grinder.

She would prefer if she was angry, if she shouted at her...anything was better than this piercing gaze that made her feel as if she could see into the very core of her soul.

"You should have come to me straight away," Aurora finally spoke from her place on the sofa, near the fireplace.

Morticia wondered if there ever be a time when she'll no longer have this embarrassing urge to squirm under the piercing look of Aurora Addams.

"I...I thought I could handle it myself," she said and was glad that her voice didn't sound as small and pathetic as she felt.

"You cut your finger, you can handle it yourself," the old lady retorted sternly."You are practising the most dangerous kind of witchcraft imaginable, Morticia, there's no place here for a stubborn pride."

"I'm sorry," she said in what seemed like a millionth time in the last twenty-four hours.

"I don't need your apologies," Aurora replied in a disappointed tone."Why didn't you come to me straight away? Did you think to impress me with your destructive tendencies?"

"No," she retorted in a firm, defensive voice."I just…"

"You what?" the older lady prompted when Morticia stayed silent.

"I was afraid... to fail," she finally said, almost choking on her words and forced herself to look into Aurora's cobalt blue eyes.

"If you feel you could not trust me to guide you through this," Aurora said with an unexpected softness."Then it's me who failed you."

"No," she retorted immediately, shaking her head."It's not that at all, I swear, you mustn't think like that."

"And yet you didn't feel like you could confide in me," the older lady pointed out.

"It's not that, auntie," she denied vehemently, guilty beyond belief that she made her think she was failing her as a mentor."I  _knew_ you would do everything to help me."

"Then why?"

She hesitated, biting her lips thoughtfully.

"I was afraid...you'd tell me I'm not made to do this, that I'm too weak... and I could not face such prospect," she forced the confession out of herself in a soft whisper."I could not bear such failure."

"My dear, knowing when to let go is not a failure," she said."But you must stop feeling like you're here by accident. You must trust my judgement - you  _are_  a great witch, a powerful witch and, with time, you'll be even more powerful. But what you must realize and accept is that behind a single success there are countless failures. It's the journey that will make you great, not the destination."

Morticia nodded but bit her lips thoughtfully.

"I feel like I'm not doing as well as I hoped for...as I should," she admitted, linking her hands together."When I killed that demon, I thought it was such a huge step forward, that it would get easier now but instead, I feel like I'm in a plateau, that I'm not improving at all. I feel like I'm failing you, like I'm wasting your time."

"You expect too much of yourself," Aurora replied sympathetically."I know it feels like we're stuck in one place as of late, but believe it or not, plateaus are also essential - it's the time to perfect and hone your skills and all you've learnt so far - you are still learning, just not at such a rapid speed as before. You must learn to preserve, to be patient Morticia. Despite what you might have heard, there's no fast track route to mastering Dark Arts."

Morticia bowed her head sheepishly but her lips curled into a small smile.

"I haven't thought about it this way," she said.

"Well, obviously," the older lady quipped sternly but then her expression softened again and she took Morticia's hand, squeezing it gently in a tender gesture."Morticia, I'm not here merely to teach you spells. I'm here to guide you through all aspects of your training, don't ever feel that a matter is too trivial to bother me with it."

Morticia nodded and smiled tenderly.

"Except all your lovey dovey stuff - this I  _really_ can't be bothered with," Aurora added solemnly but there was an unmistakable affection in her voice.

Morticia let out a gentle snort of laughter.

"Point well taken," she smiled.

Aurora nodded and returned the smile.

"Hand me my walking stick, please," she requested and Morticia obediently did just that.

She watched the older lady wrap her skinny hand around the stick and then whacked her in the head with such a surprising swiftness that Morticia only registered what happened when she felt excruciating pain spread through the top of her skull.

"What the hell...God this hurts," she swore, glaring at the older lady while massaging her head vigorously."What is this damn thing made of?"

Aurora smirked, ignoring her question.

"Remember this pain the next time you'd get an urge to keep secrets from me," she said pointedly and slowly stood up from the sofa."Now, let's take care of those nightmares."

* * *

The only comfort was the half-hearted satisfaction that Morticia was indeed right in her suspicion, as Aurora confirmed, that it's the usual practice of the dark forces to try to take the possession of a witch's mind first if they feel threatened. What was uncommon was that it didn't usually happen this early in the training, hence why Aurora didn't immediately pick up of Morticia's unusual behaviour.

Morticia watched patiently as her mother-in-law sat crossed-legged on the floor in the middle of Gomez and Morticia's bedroom, brewing the potion that was supposed to help her with the nightmares while Aurora attached a small, willow hoop woven with web and black beads to the corner of the bed.

"What's that?" Morticia asked curiously.

"A good old Indian dream catcher," Aurora replied."Custom made, of course."

"Where, on earth, did you get it?"

"From the old Indian, where else?" she replied perfecting the final knot.

"I need your blood," Eudora requested, handing her a dagger."Nine drops."

Aurora took a seat next to Morticia on the bed, patiently waiting for Eudora to complete the potion. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head curiously before she reached out and picked a leather item from the bedside table and Morticia immediately felt her cheeks burning.

She absolutely forgot she left it there...

"A riding crop," Aurora said in mild surprise, inspecting it around in her hand."Whatever do you…" she started to ask but then looked at Morticia and the expression of an absolute mortification on the younger woman's face. She narrowed her eyes and slowly put the riding crop away, exactly where she found it, without making a single further comment about it before casually folding her hands on top of her walking stick.

Eudora just shook her head gently, neither surprised nor curious about the leather item on the bedside table or what has it been used for. There were things a mother just shouldn't know ...ever.

"Drink everything straight away to the last drop," Eudora advised and handed the goblet to her daughter-in-law.

Morticia obediently did as she was told. It was extremely bitter but not entirely unpleasant. She felt a mild burning sensation settle in her stomach.

"Feeling alright?" her mother-in-law asked curiously.

"Fine," she replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders and Eudora frowned in surprise.

"How odd, most people -"

She didn't have a chance to finish her musing as both ladies watched Morticia as she suddenly covered her mouth with her hand and bolted from the bed, faster than they've ever seen her moving, towards the bathroom. Few seconds later there was unmistakable sound of vomiting.

"Well, that's more like it,"Eudora smirked.

* * *

Mortimer Frump was indeed very glad that their traditional family-focused Sundays continued even after his youngest daughter's marriage. He watched his family with a content smile from behind his Sunday newspaper. Ivy was spread on the floor, colouring pictures.

He was also relieved to notice that Morticia and Gomez seemed to have resolved whatever was troubling them, as they were back to gazing at each other in that love-sick manner of theirs instead of casually avoiding looking at each other as they did last week. His darling wife was sitting between them on a sofa, enthusiastically showing them the various patterns of wallpaper she chose for the purpose of redecorating the parlour - as if she hasn't redecorated it just eight months prior.

"I like the one with pink stripes the most," Ivy decided from her place on the floor.

"It is lovely," Hester agreed."But it just wouldn't go well with the furniture here."

"Why don't you buy new furniture then?" Ivy proposed and Mortimer's eyes widened in alarm.

"So, pumpkin, how is school?" he asked promptly in a desperate attempt to change the subject before his wife could spend even a split second considering the proposal. He still remembered all too well how much it costed him, both financially and emotionally, the last time Hester decided that the house needed a new look.

"She's already got in trouble at school for calling one of her classmates stupid," Gomez supplied with a teasing smirk, deciding gallantly to come in aid to his father-in-law, noticing the panicked expression on the older man's face at Ivy's suggestion.

"I didn't call him stupid,"Ivy countered without stopping her coloring."I called him dumb."

"Why did you call him that? That's not very nice," Hester commented in mild disapproval, picking the emerald green sample and showing it to Morticia."What do you think? Too pretentious?"

Morticia took it and examined it properly for few seconds.

"Not at all, I think it's very elegant. It will give the parlour a whole new look," she commented and her mother nodded in agreement.

Gomez looked at his father-in-law in disbelief and was glad to notice that Mortimer wore exactly the same bemused expression as him because he could swear the sample was exactly the same shade of green that was currently gracing the walls of the parlour. His father-in-law just shook his head in a silent warning not to make any comments about this fact.

"Because he  _is_  dumb," Ivy replied succinctly, diverting them from the subject of redecorations again.

"Any particular reason you think he's dumb?"Mortimer probed, now genuinely interested himself.

"I don't  _think_ he's dumb, grandpa, it's  _a fact_ ," the little girl retorted eliciting a gentle laugh from her father before adding."I have a proof!"

"What proof might that be?"

"So," Ivy stopped her coloring and looked at Mortimer with a serious expression on her face."One of the teachers at our school is going to have a baby but that dumb Jackson said it's impossible to have a baby if you're not married and that teacher is not married."

Gomez didn't like where this was going and he certainly didn't like his father-in-law's facial expression that bordered somewhere between a mean smirk and pure glee.

"So I told him," his daughter continued."That he's dumb because my mummy and Gomez are not married and they had me, but Jackson said that it might be true but it's not a proper way to have a baby. And isn't that dumb? Do you have babies differently when you're married than when you're not married?"

Gomez shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It occurred to him that there was never a better moment for the end of the world because suddenly all the eyes in the room were directed at him.

His father-in-law turned to him with a barely concealed grin, his eyes practically gleaming with a vicious pleasure.

"Gomez, your daughter is asking you a question."

* * *

"This Christmas Tree looks dead," Ivy said as she took another miniature skull from the box to hang on one of the barren branches.

"Ah, thank you, darling," her grandmother beamed at her happily, expertly fixing one of the black, decorative ribbons."It's not easy to find one that looks just the right kind of dead."

"It looks marvellous, mama," Morticia praised as she poured herself some more tea."So dark and gloomy, one can feel the Christmas spirit already."

Eudora was about to reply when Gomez stormed in into the room jovially with an excited expression on his face and went straight to his wife.

"Come with me, querida,"Gomez said, kissing her knuckles lightly.

"Where?" Morticia asked but already stood up gracefully from the sofa.

"Upstairs," he grinned."I have an early Christmas gift I want you to have now."

He watched his wife's eyes widen and her cheeks colour with embarrassment.

"What?" he asked when all of his family, excluding his daughter - who was still happily decorating the tree, froze in a mid - movement and were staring at him in disbelief.

"Really, Gomez," it was Aurora who spoke."Couldn't you have thought of some less obvious euphemism."

"Euphe…" he started to repeat in a genuine confusion until it suddenly dawned upon him why was everyone glaring at him in disapproval."I didn't mean  _sex_ , what's the matter with you all?"

"An honest mistake," Eudora muttered.

There was another outraged huff from her son before he practically dragged his wife out of the room and they all busied themselves again with finishing decorating their Christmas Tree when suddenly Ivy piped out:

"They're gonna have sex again."

* * *

Gomez smirked when his wife had a good grace to look sheepish as they entered the bedroom and her eyes fell onto the large, black gift box on the top of their bed.

"Open it," he encouraged.

She lifted the lid slowly and gasped, obviously delighted at the content.

"Oh, darling, it's beautiful," she marvelled as she took the black heavy cloak out of the box. It was a blend of wool and cashmere, lined with fur. She put in on immediately and noticed that the black fabric shimmered gently in the light.

"Do you like it?" he asked unnecessarily.

"I love it," she beamed at him."I have never seen a cloak so beautiful."

"It arrived straight from Scotland, it has threads of pure white gold woven into it," he was bragging but it pleased him immensely to see her so delighted at his gift.

"You're spoiling me," she smiled against his lips before capturing them into a loving kiss."Thank you."

"And what pleasure it is to spoil you, cara," he wrapped his arms around her."You're making me the happiest man in the world. There's nothing I could ever say or do to properly express how much I love you."

"You're a charmer," she whispered affectionately against his lips and added between the kisses:"Let me show you, though...how much I appreciate your...efforts."

Her heart was still hammering in her chest in the aftermath of their lovemaking, her release still pounded gloriously in her groin. She felt sated, deliciously sore.

Her husband, however, seemed to be only hungry for more.

"Have I ever told you," he murmured, placing a wet kiss on her hip bone." How much I love your hips."

"Once or twice...every day since we've met," she teased, slipping her fingers into his pomaded hair.

"The finest…," he sneaked his hand over her hip, then under, squeezing the toned flesh."Most delicious... mouthwatering...derrière in the world." he murmured between kisses, eliciting a soft laugh out of her.

"Mmmm, what else do you like?" she asked coquettishly, scraping her nails along his chin.

"Your legs...oh Tish…," he moaned, lifting her leg and placing a myriad of soft kisses to her ankle and up her calf until he reached her upper thigh."I often daydream about those glorious legs wrapped around me,"he groaned."Everything about you is a divine perfection and I worship you...all of you," he emphasized settling himself in between her tights and capturing her lips in a searing kiss. "And those," he added in a low growl, squeezing her breast firmly."Mmmmm...those are imprinted into my brain forever."

She laughed then, slipping her hands into his hair as he bit into the soft skin of her breast cheekily.

"Mon cher."

"Hmmmmm?"

"I want to go away for a few days, just the two of us," she proposed."The week between Christmas and New Year."

"Gods yes," he agreed instantly."Anywhere you want, cara mia."

"How about Scotland?"she said."Edinburgh is so delightfully gloomy this time of the year."

"Edinburgh it is," he kissed her forehead tenderly."I'll make arrangements immediately…,"he smirked."Well, after I take care of the  _most_ pressing matters at hand."

* * *

Ten days until Christmas, Gomez Addams found his family home busier than ever with an addition of a few impromptu guests.

First, Aurora slipped on the icy pavement in front of the house, before Lurch could spread a sand on it, and sprained her left ankle. And so, upon Eudora and Morticia's insistence, she took up a residence in the Addams mansion until she gets better.

Then, few days later, Wedge and Lithium announced the happy news that they were expecting another baby but subsequently Lith started to experience such a severe morning sickness that she was practically confined to bed and so, to allow her some rest, Eudora proposed that Lumpy stays with them, at least few days a week, until his mother's morning sickness eases. Which was all well until the novelty of having a roommate wore off and a daily dose of squabbling ensued between Ivy and Lumpy that made Gomez wish he could be confined to bed permanently himself. He had to confiscate Ivy's bow when she tried, repeatedly, to shoot Lumpy with an arrow, despite being told by Morticia numerous times that killing guests was bad manners.

Now, Lumpy Addams being Lumpy Addams, promptly reciprocated his cousin's murder attempts with cutting off one of her blond braids in the middle of the night and they all woke up in the morning to Ivy's outraged screams, followed by a wave of hysterics.

Hence, instead of spending his morning in the most delightful of ways, here he was, here they all were - in the kitchen, ridiculously early on the Saturday morning, still in their night clothes, watching Ivy - hiccuping from her latest fit of crying - sit on the kitchen table as Morticia did her best to cut her hair into a straight, chin-length bob.

"You two really need to calm down," Gomez said, rolling his eyes with annoyance. Shooting arrows and cutting hair off aside, he really didn't appreciate having his quality time with his darling wife interrupted by this pointless shenanigans.

"Please, this is nothing," he heard his mother condescending voice."You obviously forgot when Fester choked you until you lost consciousness and had to be put on a respirator."

Salvador let out a snort of laughter.

"Or when Gomez tied Fester into a tree in the middle of the night and pulled out four of his permanent teeth," he reminisced fondly.

Morticia looked at her husband, raising her eyebrow in amusement. If he was surprised at this open reference to his brother, his face didn't show it, but she thought he looked pleased nevertheless.

"Here, all done," Morticia announced, brushing the little hair from Ivy's pyjama.

Ivy touched her new hair and frowned.

"They are so short," she whined."I wanted them to be long like yours."

"They will grow back," Morticia placated, placing a comforting kiss to Ivy's head.

The little girl turned to Lumpy with a vicious glare.

"Consider yourself dead."

Lumpy, who up until that time was standing on the other side of the table, arms crossed in a defiant manner, blatantly refusing to admit that he was even remotely responsible for cutting Ivy's hair, moved to stand closer.

"I think you look really pretty," he announced and they all watched Ivy narrow her eyes at him suspiciously. "I mean it, it's lovely. Hey, let's go to the attic finish cutting heads off your dolls. We can bury them later in the garden."

"Yay!" the little girl exclaimed happily jumping off the table and they both run upstairs without sparing a single glance to the adults in the kitchen.

"Well," Morticia turned her head to her husband."Isn't that the dooming Addams' charm at its finest."

* * *

"Dig deeper, this grave it's too shallow," Ivy complained, even though she was quite happy to have Lumpy around to play with more often these days.

"The ground is frozen, you genius," Lumpy retorted moodily, pushing the shovel harder with his boot but suddenly perked up and pointed in the direction of the Addams Mausoleum."Ivy look, baby vultures!"

The little girl turned sharply in the direction her companion was pointing and nearly jumped in excitement.

"Let's go have a look!" she proposed."They look so cute."

Lumpy frowned, hesitating.

"I don't know," he mumbled."Aurora said not to play in the mausoleum."

"We're not going to  _play_  there, we'll just look at the baby vultures quickly and come back," she reasoned.

Lumpy seemed to consider her words for few seconds.

"Yeah, I guess we can do that," he said before dropping the shovel to the ground."Let's go, before someone sees us and we get in trouble again."

They looked around carefully, making sure all adults were still in the house. Satisfied, they made their way quickly towards the Addams Mausoleum, but as they were nearing the building Ivy suddenly faltered.

"Come on," Lumpy urged."Why did you stop, we're nearly there."

Ivy looked at him uncertainly, she didn't like the sudden funny feeling in her stomach and her hands felt like pins and needles.

"Maybe we shouldn't go," she whispered."It feels weird here."

Lumpy only rolled his eyes and took her small hand firmly in his.

"Come, you coward."

"I'm not a coward," she hissed, but it  _did_ feel weird here, and not in a good way.

They both startled and jumped at the sudden sound of howling and the pair of black eyes shone in the darkness next to them.

"Zuleika," Ivy whispered in relief."You scared the heck out of us, you dufus," she added affectionately at the wolf, rubbing the animal behind the ear in greeting.

"Look, there they are!" Lumpy pointed happily and sure enough, Ivy saw three baby vultures romping together just in front of the entrance to the mausoleum.

"Oh, they are so precious!" she tried to come closer put was immediately pulled back by the sleeve of her coat."Zuleika, let go," she laughed as the wolf tugged at her clothes."I'll play with you later, I want to see the babies first."

Lumpy was already there, cradling one of the younglings to his chest.

"Look, I think it likes me," Lumpy beamed, caressing the bird's head gently.

"Oh, I wanna hold one!" Ivy exclaimed but, to her annoyance, Zuleika growled at her and pulled at her sleeve even stronger. She frowned at the animal."Zulu, stop that! You will destroy my coat."

Suddenly the wolf let go of her but started howling loudly, scaring the baby vultures away.

"Oh, great now look what you've done!" Ivy groused and stomped her foot in disappointment. She turned towards Lumpy who was still kneeling on the ground."Let's go, Zuleika scared them all away."

To her annoyance, Lumpy didn't move at all, staring at the space vacated by the birds.

"Lumpy, come on before someone sees us."

Nothing.

"Ivy," came his weak voice."Why is it so dark here?"

Ivy frowned and suddenly felt her mouth dry with apprehension. She approached her cousin tentatively and placed her hand gently on his arm.

"What do you mean…?"

"I can't see you, why is it so dark?" came his panicked voice.

"Calm down, let's take you to Grandmama, she'll fix you," she said and took his hand, leading him towards the house."Don't worry."

"Ivy, I don't feel that well," he complained in a terrified voice.

"We're almost there, hold on," she appeased but winced when he suddenly grabbed her wrist in a fierce grip." Lumpy, that hurts."

He didn't respond. Instead, she felt his fingers wrap even tighter and he dug his nails into the soft skin of her wrist.

"Lumpy, stop that!" she hissed but whimpered instantly when she turned towards him. His eyes were utterly black and he was staring at her without really seeing her. "Stop it," she whimpered."You're scaring me."

She tried to pull her hand from his grip but he only laughed at her viciously. Ivy's eyes filled with terrified tears. She was so scared, her voice felt stuck in her throat.

* * *

Aurora Addams shifted slightly in her position on the sofa and propped her casted leg on a pouffe. Unfortunately, at her age a merely twisted ankle was giving her a lot more pain that it's supposed to but she  _was_  Aurora Addams and she'd rather be damned than to complain. She frowned at the sound of a loud howl from the graveyard.

"Is that Zuleika?"Morticia asked in surprise, curled on the sofa next to Aurora, near the fireplace, re-reading ' _The Brothers Karamazov'_  for the third time.

"Must be," Eudora confirmed peeking through the window."It's too dark to see."

"I don't know why you bother reading the same books over and over again," Aurora wondered.

"They're my favourites," Morticia smiled.

"You should see her copy of ' _Wuthering Heights_ '" Eudora interjected with amusement."The pages are crying."

Morticia grinned at the accuracy of that statement.

"Ah well, there's something truly and undeniably enchanting about Heathcliff - his passion, his madness, his vengeance," she said with a dreamy look on her face."Absolutely irresistible."

"Well, at least now we know why you're so enamoured with Gomez," Aurora quipped but couldn't resist an affectionate smile.

"He's my very own Heathcliff," she admitted.

All three ladies turned sharply towards the noise in the hall, followed by Wedge's strangled call for Aurora.

"What the devil?" Aurora muttered as they all raised in alarm. Morticia took Aurora under her arm, to help her walk and they all made their way into the hall.

Morticia could not help but gasp at the sight of the little boy turning and trashing against his father's strong hold, his little chest heaving from the effort. Lumpy's clothes were soaked with sweat, his eyes completely black and glistering feverishly.

Next to him, Ivy was shaking with fear and it was then that Morticia noticed that her little wrist was firmly gripped by the boy's hand. Gomez was trying to pry Lumpy's little finger's off his daughter's hand.

"What happened to him?"Wedge asked in a voice laced in an unbridled panic.

The old lady came closer to the child.

"A demon," Morticia said instead.

"And a powerful one if it was able to take up a child host," Aurora confirmed somberly.

"But why?" Morticia asked but before Aurora could reply Lumpy snared and tried to lunge at her almost breaking from his father's embrace.

"Can you help him?"he pleaded desperately, but Aurora shook her head.

"I'm too old,"she explained and looked at her cast leg."I don't have the necessary strength. We must contact the Council immediately. The longer the demon stays inside him, the fewer chances of extracting him before it kills him."

"Then what are we standing here for? Do it!"

Aurora nodded and made a move towards the parlour when Morticia's voice stopped her in her track.

"Let me do it."

Aurora turned to her slowly but shook her head.

"It's beyond your scope of experience, Morticia," she explained with an air of finality before adding."Children are not easy to possess. They are an extremely hostile environment for demons - because of their innocence, it will look for a more hospitable host soon but it might kill him before that. We have…"she stopped abruptly when they heard Ivy's terrified cry and turned to that Lumpy no longer trashing but instead his body hung limply against his father's, a string of dark, crimson blood seeping slowly from his mouth. The girl wrapped her arms around Gomez's neck firmly the moment her hand was freed, crying hysterically.

"We have no time,"Morticia insisted but Aurora didn't like how elated her voice sounded, even though she was obviously trying to contain it. She didn't like it at all.

"Morticia - "

" - it might kill him before anyone can get here," Morticia challenged her.

Aurora's eyes shifted from Morticia to Lumpy then back to Morticia again. She  _was_ right of course, there was no choice here but children's possessions were so extremely rare, Aurora has only seen a handful of them herself throughout her whole life. It just didn't make sense. Why now? Why would it risk an almost certain death by possessing a child?

"Dear God, do something!" came Wedge's desperate cry as he held his son's limp body in his arms.

Aurora sighed heavily before turning to Eudora.

"Get the potion," she said softly and Eudora immediately made her way to the kitchen. Aurora turned to Morticia who was watching her intently, her eyes seemed ablaze with something she chose not to identify because she just couldn't shake the horrible feeling that she was making a grave mistake.

* * *

With his daughter safe in her room, being comforted by her grandfather, Gomez Addams watched with increasing dread as his mother poured the potion into Lumpy's mouth, making sure the boy wouldn't choke on the liquid, but fortunately, although barely conscious, he swallowed the potion, coughing a little.

"All right, now move away,"Aurora commanded before turning to Morticia."Be extremely careful, don't lose your focus, a moment of hesitation and you're as good as dead, do you understand?"

"Yes,"Morticia replied confidently.

Aurora nodded,"I won't be able to help you,"she warned gravely.

"I understand, I can do it,"she said calmly with all the conviction she could muster for the sake of her husband who was squeezing her hand apprehensively.

"Then we may as well start,"she heard the older lady say before she turned towards Lumpy's unconscious form one last time.

"Tish,"Gomez said edgily, not letting go of Morticia's hand. He didn't know what to say to her, he could barely comprehend what was about to happen here.

"I'll be fine,"she smiled at him gently."Trust me."

He didn't look particularly pleased, but leaned forward and placed a firm kiss on her forehead before releasing her hand reluctantly. He didn't say he loved her because it would sound to him too much like a goodbye and he just wouldn't have that.

"Well then, let's start," Aurora said tensely.

With one last squeeze of her husband's hand, Morticia came to stand in front of Lumpy's unconscious form and watched everyone leave the room, leaving just her, the boy and the creature inside him.

She was so scared her hands were shaking but the pull of the Dark Force that filled her the moment she set her eyes on Lumpy's possessed form was so utterly irresistible it was almost intoxicating. She knew very well, as well as Aurora did, that this was the task way above her grade, that she was nowhere near ready to tackle a demon so powerful to take a child host and yet its pull was stronger than her fear.

She was perfectly aware that she has, in all likelihood, just invited her own demise. She was, conspicuously and willingly, breaking her promise to her beloved husband and the sense of guilt, of betrayal was so overwhelming she could barely stand it.

Yet, extremely slim as it was, she had an actual chance of surviving it, Lumpy however, had none. Morticia closed her eyes and took a deep breath emptying her thought entirely except for the task at hand.

"In nomine tui Domini, "she whispered as she outstretched her hands in front of her."In nomine tui Domini. Maxime potens, Dominus omnium mundos. Quod praecipio tibi ipsum revelare."

She was instantly startled by a lowly hiss, followed by what sounded like a foreboding, demented laugh and a sneer. She frowned and felt her heartbeat quicken, she didn't expect the creature to respond to her so quickly. Too quickly.

She repeated the spell, more forcefully now and the hissing intensified.

She felt it before it happened, and it was the only reason she was able to dodge the attack in time. She turned sharply towards the southern wall and almost gasped in awe. It looked nothing like the demon she's encountered a few weeks ago. This was unlike anything she's ever seen. It looked like a mass of fire and black smoke, it's body human-like, strong yet incredibly thin, it's willowy hands ended with long, sharp nails.

Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it might burst, her hands prickled with fear and her throat felt uncomfortably dry.

Suddenly, the creature started to walk slowly towards her, it's movement confident and graceful, muttering something Morticia didn't understand, but she didn't give it a chance to continue, casting the spell of her own and the creature darted backwards with a vicious hiss but retaliated almost immediately. Morticia faltered, losing her balance; a dull pain spread suddenly through her temples and her vision went instantly blurry before she felt a slow trickle of blood on the upper lip. She resisted the urge to wipe the scarlet liquid and blinked instinctively while muttering the spell on her own.

The demon raised its willowy hands in a defensive manner but then hissed and fell on the floor in fetal position, moaning in pain.

Morticia's hand felt on fire but she continued to whisper the spells over and over again until the creature lay motionless on the floor.

And yet somehow it felt all wrong.

 _Too easy_ , she thought in panic.

She didn't dare to lower her hands - even though the pain was simply excruciating - prepared for the demon to lunge at her at any moment. Then one minute passed, then another and when still nothing happened, Morticia raised her hands higher and started whispering the killing curse when she heard a sharp sound of glass breaking and gasped in pain, instinctively shielding herself from the shattered glass particles that were suddenly everywhere.

She realized her mistake the moment it happened as the creature rose abruptly and lunged at her with the force that practically took her breath away and she found herself pinned against the wall, her arms immobilized at her sides. Her heart was beating so fast she practically felt it in her throat. The creature hovered in front of her and Morticia felt cold, overwhelming feeling of fear capture her body, the same, she realized, that previously hunted her in her dreams. She tried to move her hands but to no avail, her chest felt so constricted she could barely breathe let alone whisper a curse.

And then she felt it, as if something was tearing at her insides and for a moment she saw nothing but an overwhelming darkness filling her entire being, followed by the unmistakable, metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

She screamed in pain.

* * *

Gomez Addams heard about time being a relative concept, but until that moment he didn't realize that minutes, mere seconds could feel like excruciating hours. Never before had he felt such an overwhelming anxiety, such debilitating fear.

What if she dies? What if it kills her? How would he go on living without her?

No.

No, God damn it all to hell, he will not allow himself to think like that. She  _will not_  die, he  _will not_ lose her.

He barely felt his mother place her warm hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. He felt an overwhelming urge to shake it off, but he just couldn't move. He felt like he couldn't breathe.

The all turned sharply towards the door at the noise of a broken glass followed by the unmistakable cry of pain. Hers.

"No,"Gomez whispered and tried to open the door, but the handle didn't even budge, as if it was frozen.

"It's no use,"Aurora informed him softly from where she was standing next to Wedge who was staring at the door with the same look of fear and panic as Gomez."You can't enter that room, none of us can until it ends."

Another cry.

" _Do_   _something_ ," Gomez hissed desperately at the elderly lady, but she only looked at him apologetically. "Please."

"There's nothing I can do,"she replied hopelessly.

A scream of pain, so desperate he felt it tear at his own insides.

"Dear God,"he heard her mother strangled cry.

Silence.

Deafening silence.

One minute passed, then another. And another.

He could hear his furious heartbeat, the blood pumping frantically in his ears, filling the unbearable silence that descended upon them all as they stood in front of the door, frozen, unable to move, barely able to breathe.

"Gomez,"came his aunt's voice and he loathed how heartbroken it sounded. He didn't want to comprehend what that meant.

"Don't," he hissed, squeezing his eyes shut."Don't say it. Just... don't, don't you dare to say it."

Suddenly, there was a click and the door opened. He didn't waste a second, bursting into the room, but immediately froze at the image of his wife - in the middle of the room, amid shattered glass, on her knees, covered with blood, clutching her left side, her breathing erratic, shaking. But alive.

No sight of the demon.

She turned abruptly towards him in panic as he entered the room, but looked at him without really seeing him even when he kneeled in front of her. Her face was covered with cuts from the broken glass and glistening with blood and perspiration.

"Oh God, Tish,"he whispered and took her in his arms. She was shaking uncontrollably.

"She did it," Aurora exclaimed in awe as she and Wedge made their way slowly to Lumpy's unconscious form and checked for his pulse."By God, Morticia, you did it!"

But Morticia didn't even look at her.

She was passively staring at the floor as she reached for her husband's hand and tried to wrap her fingers around it but they were too slick with blood. God, so much blood.

He brought her closer against his flesh and she rested her head on his shoulder, listlessly.

"It's all right, I've got you," he placated but felt his eyes fill with tears."You're safe."

"I'm so sorry,"he heard her whisper faintly, just before her body went limp in his arms.

* * *

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kudos and comments - they really mean a lot.
> 
> I must admit this chapter was very difficult to write, somehow it looked better in my head than written down and I'm not 100% happy with it or really confident posting it to be honest. Still, I hope it doesn't disappoint. Please let me know what you think and thank you for reading. :)

**Chapter 13**

Heart.

Almost universally, every culture in the world uses metaphors that allude to heart. Broken hearts. Hearts of stone. Hearts of gold.

Some attempt to differentiate between the spiritual heart and the physical organ but, in his thirty years of practice as a surgeon, Mortimer Frump has long decided that there's no such distinction.

In his over quarter of a century-long experience as a medical professional, it's the heart he's always found the most fascinating.

_The heart beats about a hundred thousand times a day._

_Think of it,_ he often marvelled to his wife,  _almost forty million heart beats a year of happiness, sadness, anger, joy, love, hate, content, grief and despair for each human being._

He remembered his first wild heartbeats of the young love.

_The heart continues to beat even when all its connection to the brain are severed._

He remembered the dejected heartbeats of his first heartbreak.

_The heart starts beating without the benefit of a fully formed nervous system._

He remembered this overpowering, loving yet frightening heartbeats of becoming a father for the first time.

He remembered the more experienced, content but never less loving heartbeats of becoming a father for the second time.

Each experience was unique, he treasured and savoured each memory, yet it was the memories of becoming a father that he remembered with almost vivid clarity. It's these heartbeats of unconditional love for the child he treasured most.

Yet, never before was his heart so overcame with this paralysing uncertainty.

Never before had his heart to experience such overwhelming anguish, such debilitating fear of the prospect of losing his child.

Never before it hurt so much to breathe.

* * *

There was an air of unbearable heaviness penetrating every corner the old mansion. Almost as if someone punched the life out of its every fibre.

It was close to three o'clock in the morning, yet Eudora Addams couldn't sleep.

She closed the door to her granddaughter's room with a soft click, after checking that both Ivy and Lumpy were sound asleep - again - before leaning against it heavily. The little boy was still rather weak but otherwise seemingly unscratched by the whole incident. Still, she preferred to keep an eye on him just the same. Ivy was sleeping peacefully now - a benefit of the sleeping potion Eudora made her drink, for without it it was impossible to calm the little girl down. She was scared out of her mind and inconsolable.

Wedge, on the other hand, was insistent that the boy's mother was to be kept in the dark about the situation and, although Eudora disagreed with this idea, she didn't pursue the matter with him any further. There were more pressing matters at hand and, she reckoned, Lithium would find out soon enough anyway.

Her eyes travelled towards the East Side of the mansion and she debated silently whether to go and see her son again; she longed to comfort him, to tell him everything will be fine and yet she hesitated. It was a cowardice, she knew, but just couldn't bear seeing him in such a despair, knowing there was nothing she could do to ease his pain.

The light from the fireplace flickered against the wall in the otherwise dark study, giving it a somber yet somehow calming quality.

"I shouldn't have let her do it."

Eudora shrugged as she poured herself a drink of gin and tonic she didn't really care for. She was tired and it was ridiculously late.

"What choice was there?"

Aurora shook her head gently, not taking her eyes off the fire as she sat in the old, battered Queen Anne chair in front of the fireplace, nursing - what seemed to be an untouched glass of brandy.

"No, you don't understand," she countered."Demons rarely attack children, it's almost unheard of. Their souls don't make even a remotely suitable host for a demon."

"Then it must have been a really powerful one."

"That's not my point."

"What  _is_  your point?" Eudora asked tiredly. She felt so exhausted from the events of the past few hours, she really didn't care for guessing games.

"That Lumpy wasn't its intended target," she said pointedly, finally turning towards the younger woman."They wanted  _her_ , they wanted Morticia, to subdue her...to kill her. I should have realized...I should have known that they'd not let her be after she destroyed one of them, that they will go after her."

"Whatever the circumstances, there was nothing else to be done, no alternative, you know that as well as everyone. And  _don't_  talk like she's already dead," Eudora said sharply, more sharply than she intended before adding in a softer tone:"She'll pull through. I have no doubt about that."

Aurora turned to her with a blank expression on her face.

"She's lost so much blood, she's covered with burn wounds and bruises. She has three broken ribs," she countered."And devil only knows what further damage it has done to her."

"But she's alive," she whispered, glaring at the older woman as if daring her to contradict her and, as usual, Aurora didn't disappoint.

"Barely."

"She'll pull through," Eudora insisted with a conviction that even to her was surprising."She just needs time."

Aurora just stared at her for a few moments before finally turning back towards the fireplace.

"And if she doesn't?" she asked finally.

The was a sharp sound of the crystal glass connecting with the table but Aurora didn't even flinch or looked at her nice when she came to stand directly next to her.

"I mean no disrespect," Eudora warned her aunt and swallowed audibly before continuing."But don't you dare to say things like that around Gomez."

"Gomez is not an idiot, my dear, he can see where this is all going," Aurora replied, looking at her pointedly.

"We  _don't know_  where this is going," Eudora insisted.

"I have never seen anyone surviving…"

" - then watch and see," Eudora interjected with an air of finality. She half-expected the older lady to retort with some catty remark but Aurora only stared at her for few moments before a ghost of a smile graced her thin lips.

"What I was going to say is that if there's a witch to survive this," she said slowly."It's her."

* * *

The water was scalding on his skin but he ignored it, letting it wash over his tired muscles. The pain it provided felt paltry in comparison with the pain that was currently gnawing at his soul.

The first three days he barely slept, had barely done anything other than staying beside her. He was terrified to fall asleep, afraid that without him watching, she would stop breathing during the night and he would wake up to his worst nightmare.

Now, once the immediate threat of her death has been averted, after the initial wave of euphoric relief the irrefutable fear gave way to the feeling of an agonizing uncertainty of waiting. He knew - logically - he knew that everyone - his mother, his father-in-law, Aurora and even Mabel - were doing all they could to help her and it all takes time but his heart just wouldn't accept it, he wanted her better  _now_. Yet, it always takes time. Time is the master of everything; but he was never one good with the concept of time and never cared much for logic either. Time was never a guarantee of anything.

_She needs time._

Time for what? Time to recover. Time to never recover. Time to live or time to die.

Time instilled itself into his life with all its deprived, bewildered sadness as he waited, helplessly whether the death would claim his love - first violently and abruptly - and now slowly, with all its dull uncertainty. Time - to see whether he will ever have a chance to hold her in his arms again, to see her look at him with that unbridled love and devotion, to hear her laugh, to see her chew her lip in exasperation when he irritated her particularly.

He couldn't shake this ridiculous anger, this preposterous accusation that formed itself in his mind, that the whole world didn't just stop and collapse and perish in the face of his agony. How everyone still dared to do such mundane things like eating, sleep and live their lives when his own was falling apart.

He would take the agony of any physical pain over this heart-wrenching uncertainty.

Gomez shut the shower tap off in one forceful motion and stepped out of the cabin, taking one good look at himself in the steamy mirror. Even in the haze of the condensation, he thought he looked like a shell of a man - he felt like a shell of a man.

He blinked off the tears that threatened to well up again and picked up a tube of his shaving cream, squeezing it in into a porcelain bowl. In all truth, he didn't even know why he still bothered with such mundane things. Why did he still dressed with such a care? Why did it matter? What did it matter whether he shaved or not? Yet, he forced himself to perform each task and there was an undeniable comfort in those rituals, somehow they gave him an illusion of normality, it helped him pretend that he still had some control, that not everything in life wasn't falling apart.

When he finally exited the bathroom, Mabel was gone but his father-in-law was again beside the bed, flashing a small light into Morticia's listless eyes.

"We must be hopeful," Mortimer Frump said gently. Gomez wasn't sure if he was talking to him or himself.

How he loathed these placating phrases, these empty promises everyone was descending upon him. He loathed them with a passion because they meant nothing, they gave him no guarantees, they were hopeful platitudes. And yet he craved them because those hopeful platitudes were now all he had.

He didn't say anything in reply but made his way to the walk-in wardrobe to change.

He was actually amazed that he managed to maintain his outward calm when in fact the sense of dread was so overwhelming he barely knew what to do with himself. Three days after the incident, Morticia was still unconscious, her breathing steady but too shallow for his liking. She was so pale against the crimson silk of the pillow she looked to him transcend, her body covered with cuts, bruises and burn wounds. She looked so fragile he thought she might perish if he so much as touched her and so he didn't dare.

"It's a natural response to trauma, to allow the body to heal," Mortimer was saying when Gomez came to stand next to him."Her cranial nerves seem intact, that's the most important."

"And what the hell does that mean?" Gomez retorted testily.

Mortimer ignored his tone and turned towards him.

"Her pupils are reactive to light which indicates a lack of any possible brain damage," he explained.

"Then why isn't she waking up?"

"Her injuries are very extensive, she needs time to heal."

"But she  _will_  wake up?" he asked insistently.

"I'm hopeful."

"I'm beginning to hate that word."

"Forgive me but being attacked by a demon isn't an exact science, now is it?" Mortimer replied frostily, gently lifting the bandage on Morticia's hands to check on her burn wounds."I can only give an opinion from the medical perspective. And from the medical perspective her body responds to a near death experience, it needs time to heal," he explained but then turned towards Gomez and added in a softer tone."You're not the only one worried here, son. She's my daughter and I love her but falling into despair isn't going to help her or anyone else, for that matter."

Gomez looked at him in a half-angry, half - apologetical way. They were both exhausted, neither of them getting much sleep during these past three days. There were too many unknowns, too much uncertainty. His brain refused to get any rest, constantly attacking him with various unbearable what ifs and desperate whys.

"What if she...I can't...if she doesn't," he said in a hoarse whisper and faltered. He just couldn't, wouldn't dare to finish the thought."I don't want to live my life without her."

"Don't talk like that," Mortimer frowned." Whatever happens, you have a daughter who she needs you. Your family needs you..." he added but Gomez just shook his head without taking his eyes off his wife.

" - no," he interjected with a conviction that sent a chill down Mortimer's spine."Nothing matters without her."

* * *

Despite the grimness of it all, Mabel Frump couldn't help but let out a small smile as she descended the kitchen stairs and found her niece at the stove, vigorously mixing what seemed to be yet another batch of a caramel fudge.

"I was always wondering how do you manage to stay so skinny with that unfortunate habit of comfort eating," she announced herself, slowly making her way towards the old oak table.

Ophelia shrugged but her lips curled into a small smirk.

"Any changes?" she asked hopefully, taking the pan from the stove and made her way towards the table where a large baking tray was already prepared.

"None, I'm afraid," she replied sadly."It's as comforting as it is worrying but then we don't know what to expect exactly. Your father insists that no news is good news, so I guess we have to wait and see," Mabel added tiredly, flopping at the chair on the other side of the table, opposite Ophelia before dipping her finger into a sweet mixture and let out a small chuckle when Ophelia smacked her hand gently with a spatula."Pity you never had any interest in witchcraft, you always had such a fine intuition for ingredients," Mabel mused noncommittally.

"Oh, I think one witch per generation is quite sufficient, "she smiled warmly."Besides, I think mother was grateful that at least one of us engaged in all things normal."

"Oh, indeed, you've made sure to provide her with plenty of 'normal'," she replied sardonically but kindly still.

"For all her constant complaining about my lifestyle, she thoroughly enjoyed it and you know it," she grinned despite herself.

The was a sharp sound of someone descending the stairs to the kitchen and they both turned towards the noise. Wedge Addams stopped abruptly in his track and, for a while, just stared at them awkwardly.

"Need anything, dear?" Mabel asked finally in a kind tone, pulling them from the uncomfortable silence.

"Ehm, yeah, I...Lumpy asked for more pumpkin juice…," he blurted uneasily, coming nearer towards them.

"No need for the awkward stance," Ophelia stated bluntly, pouring some fresh juice into the cup and almost smirked when Mabel rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"You must forgive my dear niece," she said softly."Good manners were never her strongest suit," she jested but Wedge's discomfort only seemed to increase.

"I just can't stop thinking," he said finally, slowly as if choosing his words carefully."That she saved my son's life and I'm going to be in her debt for the rest of my life," Wedge whispered without looking at them."Yet, I can't help...I can't bear the thought that she might die. I can't bear to even consider what it will do to Gomez if she dies...that, every time he looks at my son he'll see the reason why his wife is -,"

"Be silent," Ophelia hissed at him with a surprising anger."Just...shut up. My sister will  _not_ die, you stupid bastard."

"Ophelia -, " Mabel tried to placate but Ophelia would have none of it.

" - no," Ophelia interjected harshly."I'm not going to listen to this. This guilt or whatever the hell this is that you feel is utterly misplaced. No one blames you or your son. How dare you..."

"No, I - "

"Whatever it is that you need, we can't give you," she added viciously. "And I certainly am not…"

"That's quite enough," Mabel scolded gently yet firmly still and watched both of them turn towards her."This is utterly uncalled for, Ophelia."

"How dares he talk about my sister as if she's already dead?" Ophelia interjected ferociously."He has no right, she's not…how  _dare_ you even suggest that,"she added before furiously wiping the tears from her eyes. Her tone was so small and desperately pathetic that for a moment Mabel thought she was faced again with a little girl instead of a grown woman.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean," Wedge tried to defend himself but Ophelia just spun abruptly towards him with a determined look in her eyes.

"You listen to me," she whispered in a tone so vicious she might as well screamed at him."Do not let my sister's gentle disposition fool you, because benevolent as she is she  _will feast_ on those who try to subdue her and, mark my words, that piece of shit of a demon will regret the day he crossed her."

Wedge blinked, as if startled by her words, before unexpectedly letting out a chuckle of laughter. Morticia's sister looked like she was about to lash out on him again so he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender before explaining:

"What you said," he said slowly and shook his head slightly, his lips curling into an incredulous smile."It's actually...it's our..it's Addams' credo  _Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc -_ we gladly feast on those who try to subdue us."

* * *

The train room always was to him like a sanctuary but at this very moment it seemed almost oppressive and he almost choked at the sheer misery contained within it.

He dreaded leaving her side but he just couldn't stand being surrounded by the heartbroken looks a minute longer, he couldn't bear their pity or their attempts to comfort him. He supposed he should be grateful to Hester and Ophelia for stepping in and consoling  _his_  daughter - something he knew he should have done but lacked the energy to even think about it. How could he console the little girl when he himself was going insane with worry and despair?

He went over to the table where the careful setup up of trains, tracks and bridges rested neatly and slid his hand over the smooth metal of his train set before picking it up and throwing it violently against the wall.

"I thought I'll find you here."

His body stiffened visibly at her voice but he didn't reply, simply picking up another carriage and throwing it in the same manner as its predecessor.

"Your mother is worried sick, you have to eat something, Gomez," Aurora insisted worryingly but was again ignored and watched silently as her nephew purposely took the crowbar off the hook on the wall. She couldn't help but wince as the metal tool connected with the train set, viciously and repeatedly, methodically smashing it into pieces."Gomez…"

"Just leave," he retorted harshly.

"Making yourself ill won't help her," she pointed out, slowly making her way towards him, even though he looked like a caged animal ready to pounce.

Surprisingly, he stopped the ongoing demolition and his shoulders slumped as if giving up under the invisible heaviness. The loud thud of the crowbar hitting the carpeted floor followed.

"What will, Aurora?" he whispered desperately and she could tell he was choking back the tears.

She swallowed heavily and touched his arm gently.

"I don't have an answer to that, Gomez, but she came this far, there's a good chance she'll pull through," Aurora said calmly but Gomez only snorted contemptuously.

"Oh, that's comforting."

"What do you want me to say?" she asked."You want me to lie to you to make you feel better?"

He turned sharply towards her and his chest heaved with sudden, unconcealed anger.

"Don't lie to me, just make her better," he retorted in a tone that was somewhere between desperation and demand.

"I can't," the older lady replied softly and he loathed the sheer helplessness of her demeanour "You know I would do anything to help her, but there's nothing I can do."

"Then what's the bloody use of all your damned magic if you can't help her?"

" - is Tish gonna die?" came the small, pitiful voice from the direction of the door. They didn't even hear it opening.

"No," Gomez found himself saying, harsher than he intended, before he even turned towards the little girl."She's  _not_  going to die."

His words, however, had no comforting effect at all because his daughter immediately burst into tears.

"We didn't mean for her to get hurt," she mumbled, trying in vain to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I swear, I didn't…"

"- Ivy, no," Gomez interjected gently, coming towards her in three long strides and immediately took her in her arms, hugging her close and she wrapped her skinny arms around him firmly."It's not your fault, Paloma, why on earth would you even think that?"

"Because... we went to play near Mausoleum... but we didn't mean to... it's the baby vultures...we didn't mean for Tish to get hurt," she sobbed."I'm  _so so_ sorry."

"You don't make any sense, child," Aurora said in her usual stern manner and Gomez glared at her. "What baby vultures? It's way past breeding season."

Ivy lifted her head from her father's shoulder and looked at the older lady angrily.

"I'm not lying," she retorted defensively."We were digging graves, far from the crypt, like you told us," she explained."But then Lumpy spotted baby vultures playing near the crypt and we just wanted to look at them. I swear, it's true," she added when Aurora frowned at her in confusion."And then Lumpy said it was all dark and he couldn't see and I got scared and…"

"I knew it," Aurora muttered.

"Knew what?" Gomez asked, securing Ivy firmly on his hip.

"It wasn't Lumpy they wanted to kill, it was Morticia...but then, why do they let her live?" she mused, more to herself than her companions.

"What do you mean they  _let_ her live?"

"She's a vulnerable target," Aurora explained."She can't defend herself, it would take two seconds to finish her off."

"Why didn't they, then?" Gomez frowned, barely feeling the tightening of Ivy's grip on his neck upon Aurora's words.

"Exactly," the older lady retorted contemplatively."Why?"

* * *

Rebecca Howard chewed on her lower lip nervously as she waited for her daughter to come to the phone. She was grateful that Gomez's father had thought of filling her in on the situation although he didn't exactly elaborate what happened. Still, she was utterly unprepared how sad and heartbroken her daughter was when her voice reverberated through the receiver.

"Hi mummy," she greeted in small, pitiful voice and Rebecca felt her heart shatter at her misery.

"Hey, you're ok, honey?" she asked and immediately felt like hitting her head with a brick.  _Of all the stupid questions..._

"Not really," her daughter replied after a minute of silence.

"What happened?"

Ivy bit her lips, not exactly sure how to explain the whole thing to her mother.

"Tish is sick," she said finally."I'm so very worried."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry to hear that," he mother tried to placate."How did it happen?"

"She…" Ivy started and faltered when she felt the tears roll down her cheeks again."She was trying to help Lumpy but got very hurt and now she can't wake up."

"Oh no," Rebecca said understandably but faltered not sure how to comfort the little girl."Oh, honey, I'm so sorry."

"Mummy I'm so scared she's gonna die," Ivy sobbed.

"No, Ivy, baby… don't think like that. She's going to be fine, you'll see,"Rebecca placated frantically.

"How do you know?"

She winced at the question and hesitated for few seconds, frantically scrambling for something to say that would cheer Ivy up but wasn't a downright lie or sounded like a promise. She took a deep breath, making sure to put all the conviction she could muster into her voice.

"I know that," she started slowly." Because she's a really wonderful person. She took care of you when I couldn't," she explained."She made sure you felt at home. She's kind, very brave and strong. The world is in desperate need for the people like her, honey, she'll be fine."

"How do you know she's brave and strong?" Ivy asked suspiciously but there was an undeniable relief in her voice."You never met Tish."

"Well, she married your father, hasn't she?" Rebecca replied sardonically."She's either incredibly brave and strong or absolutely insane. Trust me, she'll be fine."

* * *

Hester knew nothing about witchcraft even though she's been surrounded by it throughout her whole life. She didn't  _want_ to know anything about it because for as long as she remembered it brought her family nothing but heartache. Her own mother died because of witchcraft. Her own mother put witchcraft above her family, it was witchcraft that took her mother away from her long before she died. Hester vowed, then, never to have anything to do with magic.

And yet fate constantly made a mockery of her convictions.

Hester Frump never wanted to have children. She was never a motherly type. She was, as she discovered in the recent weeks, a grandmotherly type. It was infinitely easier than motherhood.

She swallowed heavily as she watched Eudora change the bandages on her daughter's hands. Hester's whole body felt as if it was about to burst with the sheer need to do something. Anything. She loathed standing here and watching others care for her daughter With her husband and Mabel, obviously, she was somewhat alright with, they were family after all, but seeing Eudora, her daughter's mother-in-law, someone with no blood-relation to Morticia at all, care for her with such a love and tenderness was almost unbearable.

Hester loved her children even if she wasn't a typical hands-on mother, even if she became a mother reluctantly. She became a mother solely because she fell in love with and married a tall, handsome doctor and Mortimer loved and wanted children and she felt guilty and unfair denying him to experience fatherhood he so longed for. Even against her better judgement.

She heard, just as everyone else, the rumors about the Frumps - a witch in the family who lived in France. She didn't even meet him yet then but already felt bound to him. She too had a witch in the family, after all. She was one herself - reluctant, untrained, resentful but a witch nonetheless. Her family was also, once upon a time, accused of witchcraft.

Yet, Hester was nothing if not adaptable, she shaped and moulded all situations to her own needs and quickly discovered that the way to deal with the accusations was to live her life as if they never existed and focus solely on establishing herself on the upper echelons of the town's richest and most influential. It worked beautifully. Later in her life, she learned that once one was high enough on the social ladder, even the witchcraft could be forgiven, or at least overlooked and dressed in eccentricity. Money was stronger than fear and prejudice. Money bound stronger than love.

She wished he wasn't so strikingly handsome or so disarmingly charming but she never stood a chance. She fell in love with him, she married him, she gave him children.

Yet, despite the fact that she was reluctant about becoming a mother and was never keen about the idea of motherhood in general, she never once regretted having her daughters.

She remembered, very clearly, the moment the doctor put that tiny, snow-white, raven-haired baby girl in her arms. She knew right there and then that she will be nothing like her sister, this sweet, golden-haired, blue-eyed angel everyone envied her. Morticia didn't even cry, she barely made any sound at all. She just stared at her mother with those huge, almond-shaped eyes that even then, when she was barely minutes old, were so eerily dark and expressive.

Hester knew, without a shadow of a doubt, just who her youngest daughter would grow up to be, just like her grandmother - Hester's own mother - strikingly beautiful, unearthly pale, dark and mysterious - a witch.

Hester never explicitly condemned or criticized the practice of witchcraft, she just didn't want to have anything to do with it. Nevertheless, she was quite angry with Mabel when she gifted a four-year-old Morticia with a book about the Dark Arts that her daughter practically devoured. It was not so much the gift itself as rather what it represented - yet another mockery of fate, no matter what Hester did or didn't do, witchcraft would always be hiding out there somewhere in the corners of her life. Her daughter would become a witch and she could only helplessly watch.

Yet, through the years, she learned to accept, albeit with a dull reluctance, who her daughter was and, although she never encouraged her, she never forbade her practising magic either.

Even when the whole thing eventually forced them to leave her hometown forever.

Still, she couldn't have been happier when Gomez Addams entered the picture in his jolly, vivacious manner and Morticia all but lost all her sanity over him. It wasn't that Hester didn't share her husband's reservations about Gomez Addams. She did, of course, she did. Nevertheless, Morticia's love affair, although unexpected, was wholeheartedly welcomed by her mother because Hester delighted in the prospect of anything that made her daughter divert her attention from her magic studies.

Gomez Addams turned out to be a potent distraction as for weeks the subject of witchcraft was shoved to the corner as they all focused on Morticia's upcoming wedding. Well, at least until it turned out that Hester's future son-in-law was related to one of the most famous witches in the field of Dark Arts. Yet, even that now seemed secondary or at least Morticia's approached it with more thought and balance.

Hester swallowed audibly at her thoughts and came closer to where her daughter was lying supine in the bed and almost choked at how thin and fragile she looked. Breakable.

She could practically feel both women watching her as she reached out and gently moved a stray strand of the ebony hair from Morticia's forehead away before she leaned forward and placed a tender kiss to her pale forehead.

The witchcraft might have cost her a mother and a ruined childhood but she'd be damned if she let it take her daughter away from her as well.

"Live," she whispered.

Even to her, it sounded like a command.

* * *

Salvador took a big exasperated breath when after a good quarter of an hour his daughter-in-law's African Strangler still refused her food. Not to mention, he felt absolutely ridiculous talking to this damn plant as if he was dealing with an unruly toddler. On the other hand, he didn't know what to do with himself these days. If he couldn't help Morticia, he could at least make sure the plant won't starve itself.

Or at least try to.

"Come on now, you stubborn weed," he groaned as the plant dodged off its food again and practically curled into a ball.

"She misses Morticia," Eudora supplied humorlessly from her position at the entrance to the conservatory.

"I haven't seen a plant so stubborn in my life," he admitted slowly turning to his wife."Even Ivy wasn't successful in feeding her."

Salvador frowned and turned back to the wayward plant.

"Your mistress won't be pleased to see you all withered away," Salvador commented sternly, trying to practically shove the fork into its mouth but to no avail as Cleopatra seemed all but glue it together, although he could swear she looked sheepish. "Come on now, you know Morticia will be very worried, look at you, you're getting all yellow" he pointed out and, to his surprise, Cleopatra opened her mouth and reluctantly took the hamburger off the fork but gulped it loudly all the same."That's a good girl."

"He smashed the living hell out of his train set," Eudora said casually, standing next to him and her hand went to caress one of the yellowed leaves of the plant.

"Yes, I've seen it," he replied, forcing another forkful into Cleopatra's reluctant mouth and for a moment they both stayed silent."It's…," he started to say but faltered as if scrambling for words."I know there's nothing we can do, yet I can't help but feel as we're failing him," he said finally. "Perhaps, we've failed both of them."

"Crying over spilt henbane juice again, Salvador?" she inquired catilly immediately realising what was on his mind but her husband shook his grey head.

"No," he said gently, ignoring her sharp tone, and felt her relax visibly next to him."But you noticed, how resentful he was becoming towards Fester and I brushed it off for a sibling rivalry."

"Yes well, I wasn't very insistent to take care of the subject either," she said."In fact, I was just quite content to brush it off."

Salvador snorted mirthlessly and cut another piece of hamburger, feeding it to Cleopatra.

"Not our brightest moments," he agreed and Eudora allowed a small chuckle to escape her.

"They say a parent's job is never done, but it was infinitely easier to parent to a pair of unruly little boys," she admitted.

"It's heartbreaking watching him like this," he whispered and cleared his throat self consciously."It makes me realize what a lousy excuse for a father I am, if at the time like this I can't even think of a single way to comfort my own son."

"You're not a lousy, father," she denied immediately but he only looked at her sardonically even though he knew she was being sincere in her assessment."You're not," she insisted."Parenthood doesn't really come with a manual, now does it. We've both done our best and we've both made mistakes... but it's never too late to amend them."

His eyes felt suddenly misty and he felt, rather than saw, the crystal bowl and the silver fork being taken away from him. He felt his wife's soft hand on his face and she turned his head towards him before pressing her lips firmly against his.

He leaned gratefully into her embrace and prayed a silent promise, to whoever was listening, just let her make it through this, let them all make it through this hell and he swears he shall make all the amends there were to make even if it's going to kill him.

Starting with his son and that forsaken Amour Twin debacle.

* * *

Ivy hovered outside the door for a good fifteen minutes before finally gathering enough courage to push the door open gently and winced when it creaked loudly. Her father hasn't even moved as if he didn't hear the noise at all, although she was sure he did. Still, he was just sitting stiffly as if frozen in his spot, as it had become his habit lately, on the chair, next to the bed, without saying anything to anyone, she couldn't even remember the last time she saw him with his favourite cigar.

She didn't like when he behaved like that, it scared her.

Her eyes travelled to the woman in the bed and immediately her eyes welled up with tears again. She noticed that the bandages that previously covered Morticia's hands were gone but the skin was still marred with rigged, pink scars. The cuts and bruises, that just a few days ago covered her face, were much more faded now but Ivy thought Morticia looked no less fragile and way too skinny as if she was slowly withering away.

She missed her so much, sometimes it felt like her chest was being crushed with a huge rock. She missed her voice and her smile and her kindness. She missed her laugh and her hugs. Everything felt so empty without her.

"Gomez," she whispered and it didn't surprise her that he didn't reply, she hadn't expected him to. Yet, she wanted to do something to make him feel better. Anything. She just couldn't stand how sad her father was. For someone who was always so jolly and loved good fun, this grimness, this heartbreaking sadness was to her unbearable.

"Daddy," she said, this time louder, touching his arm just slightly. She felt him stiffen and, this time, he looked at her in surprise but didn't say anything so she added: "May I sit with you?"

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes were red and he looked very tired but then he nodded gently.

She smiled, promptly climbing on his laps and rested her head against his chest. Her smile widened slightly when her father wrapped his arms around her firmly and placed a soft kiss to the crown of her head.

"She's going to be fine, daddy, you'll see," she said."I will look after you until she's better. I promise."

* * *

She tried to swallow but her throat felt horribly dry.

Why did it hurt so much to breathe? Was she hurt? She didn't remember getting hurt.

She forced her eyes to open even though they felt unbelievably heavy and, for a moment, everything looked blurry. Where was she?

She felt a faint movement beside her and turned her head slowly towards it. She blinked slowly, waiting for her vision to clear.

Gomez.

She tried to say his name or to smile at him but even that felt like too much work, she felt tired. So unbelievably tired.

He stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked tiredly, then frowned and, immediately after, his eyes widened in shock, followed by an overwhelming relief and he let out a strangled gasp before his eyes clouded with tears.

"Thank God," he rasped breathlessly and his hand went to touch her face in a feather-like gesture. She stared at him and he thought her eyes looked glassy, feverish, but she was awake and that's all that mattered to him now. Then, as if suddenly struck by a sudden thought, he bolted right off the bed and went to the door opening it abruptly before bellowing for his mother.

Morticia frowned in confusion, or at least tried to for every single move felt like an impossible task to her. She watched her mother-in-law enter the room hurriedly, followed by her father and they both made their way towards her.

"Oh, thank God," he father whispered, smiling at her but his voice cracked with emotions.

"Gomez, get her some water, "Eudora said firmly."She's dehydrated."

She watched her father busy himself with checking her vitals before he turned her head towards him.

"Can you hear me?"He asked and she nodded slowly."Do you know who I am?"

_What kind of ridiculous question was that_ , she thought, but her father was looking at her with a grave concern so she nodded again.

"Papa,"she rasped silently and saw him smile at her. God, her mouth was almost painfully dry. Thankfully, her husband was right next to her father with a big glass of water and a straw.

"Drink slowly," her father instructed warningly before bringing the straw closer to her lips."Otherwise, unpleasant things can happen," he added before turning to Gomez."She's going to be fine. She's very weak, that's to be expected, but she's gonna be fine, son."

She wanted to ask them what on earth was going on, but her eyelids felt unbelievably heavy again and she could not fight the overwhelming tiredness than engulfed her. The last thing she was aware of was her husband's soft lips on her temple before she slipped back into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Welcome to Chapter 14!  
> Thank you all so much for reading the story, all comments and words of encouragement - it all means the world to me.  
> Hope you'll enjoy chapter 14. :)

**Chapter 14**

There was a certain feeling of unreality to it all. It was somewhat bizarre that after so many days of agonizing uncertainty and despair things were slowly getting back to normal. Granted, it was their new kind of normal because, after all, the realization of one's mortality inevitably changes everything but it was normal nevertheless.

The happiness and relief he felt by merely being able to gaze once again into her dark, mesmerizing eyes were paramount. To be graced once again with her smile, to kiss her soft lips felt to him now like an indescribable blessing, especially when he thought of how close he came to never experience those precious moments again. He was almost overwhelmed with gratitude to have her back but it still felt to him unreal, so much so that he often found himself jerked awake by an inexplicable fear during the night with a thought that it was all a dream, and then had to place his hand over her heart to make sure it's beating, to feel her chest rise and fall gently, to make sure she was alive - usually waking her up as well in the process, and then she would smile at him and link her hand with his. And then - only then, he would be able to go back to sleep.

And yet, among all this gratitude and relief, he couldn't rid himself of the shocking image of her bruised body when he helped her into her bath. Even though he was perfectly aware of the extent of her injuries, the prominent marks on her perfect skin, when she first took her robe off, made him falter briefly and he couldn't help but stare until he realized he made her feel uncomfortable.

The truth was that the mere thought that she was marked, perhaps permanently, by this creature - this demon, was to him almost unbearable. The only marks his wife should be wearing was of his love, his dedication, his incessant worship. His rage over the fact that she was violated in such way by this-this thing was gnawing at him continuously, almost unconsciously and he wasn't sure how to contain it.

He ceased his contemplations and forced them out of his mind, schooling his expression when he came in front of their bedroom door and pressed the handle with his elbow as his hands were occupied with a silver tray where his mother prepared breakfast for Morticia. He volunteered to get if for her while Hester helped Morticia with her morning bath and change of clothes, but he was annoyed that she was feeling so self-conscious around him. It annoyed him even more that perhaps he caused it but surely, she didn't consider him so bloody shallow to think that her injuries caused him to desire her or love her any less - gods it was quite the opposite.

On the other hand, he knew that, for someone so independent as Morticia, it must be incredibly frustrating to be forced to rely on everyone to help her with every little thing.

"Your lungs appear to be clear," his father-in-law declared softly as he pressed the diaphragm onto Morticia's bareback."Cough again, please."

"It hurts when I cough," Morticia replied, pressing the blanket closer to her chest.

"That's courtesy of your broken ribs," Mortimer explained patiently."It will take a few weeks for those to mend but Eudora will bring you a pain killing potion after breakfast, now cough please," he requested and Gomez watched Morticia wince as she took a deep breath and did as her father requested.

It was only a second day when she was able to stay awake longer than a half an hour at a time. She still felt tired and slept for most of the day, but it was no longer this overwhelming, debilitating tiredness that plagued her for the last few days.

"Try going with her for a short walk today," Mortimer addressed Gomez."Also, she has to finish all her breakfast, regardless of whether she's hungry or not."

"I'll make sure she does," Gomez replied as he set the breakfast tray on the dresser and smirked when his wife glared at him.

"I love when you talk about me as if I'm not here," she said testily."That's really cute."

"You may put your robe back, darling," her father replied ignoring her statement before turning to Gomez again. "Help her before she hurts herself," he muttered loud enough for Morticia to hear, and he smirked when she let out an annoyed huff, and promptly exited the room.

Gomez nodded and then grinned at her as he made his way over to the bed and picked her robe up from where it lay on the foot of the bed. He was mildly surprised when she didn't resist his help.

"Thank you," she smiled at him softly.

"Anything for you, cara," he smiled back and pressed a tender kiss to her lips."Tish -" he began but before he could say anything of substance there was a faint knock on the door and two seconds later Eudora Addams entered the room with a silver tray and two silver goblets on top of it.

"You need to drink this," she announced in a matter of greeting, pointing to the goblet on the left."Before you have your breakfast."

Morticia nodded obediently and Gomez helped her to sit up, propping the pillows around her. She took a hefty drink of the thick liquid and immediately wished she didn't as the revoltingly sweet taste spread in her mouth.

" _Don't_  even think about spitting it out," came her mother-in-law's stern voice and she watched Morticia glare at her but swallow heavily, her face twisting in disgust.

"What, in the devil, is in it, mama?"she almost spat, desperately wishing for something to remove the aftertaste from her mouth.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Eudora smirked before pointing to the metal goblet."Now, drink it all up."

"But mama - "

" - to the  _last_  drop," she insisted in a firm tone that Morticia often heard her use with Ivy.

Morticia wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended so she just looked at Eudora pleadingly but the look on her mother-in-law's face told her that any attempt at the opposition would be futile so she reluctantly raised the goblet to her lips again and drowned the rest of the potion.

"This is beyond disgusting," she groused before handing the goblet back to Eudora and glared at her husband who dared to smirk at her again.

"Ivy wants to see you," Eudora said softly. "She's waiting right outside the door, she's very worried," she smiled fondly. "If you're up for it?"

Morticia smiled and nodded.

"You sure?" Gomez prodded worriedly and she smiled and him lovingly.

"Yes, Gomez, I'm sure."

He nodded and went to the doors opening it slowly, careful not to knock the little girl behind it.

"Is she awake? Is she ok? Can I see her? Can I see her now? Why are you not answering?" She asked eagerly all in one breath and Gomez couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, but be careful ok? She's still very weak," he asked gently.

Ivy nodded politely and Gomez let her inside the room, closing the door behind them.

"Hello, darling," Morticia smiled brightly at the little girl. She watched Ivy play with the pink hem of her sleeve, a habit she always had when she was nervous. She stared at Morticia for few seconds before suddenly bursting into tears and practically flying herself in Morticia's arms. Morticia winced in pain at the impact but quickly recovered and wrapped her arms tightly around the little girl who was now eagerly sobbing into her arm."Oh, my darling, it's ok," she said kissing the side of Ivy's head. "Don't cry."

"I was so scared…," Ivy whispered hoarsely into her arm."I thought you're going to die, I was so so so so scared and daddy was scared and everyone," she said sobbing.

"I'm so sorry," Morticia whispered, feeling her eyes brimmed with guilty tears. "I didn't mean to scare you all like that."

Ivy nodded wiping her wet cheeks with the sleeve of her dress.

"Just...don't do that again, ok?"

Morticia smiled tenderly at her request.

"I'll try."

Ivy nodded her head again, obviously content with her reply.

"Did you really kick that demon's butt?"

Morticia laughed at her choice of words and put a strand of Ivy's blond hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," she nodded."I guess I did - not before it kicked mine, though."

Ivy looked at her thoughtfully, as if pondering something, before wrapping her skinny arms around Morticia and hugging her with all her might.

"I love you, Tishy,"she said in a barely audible whisper."I'm so glad you're ok."

Morticia looked at her husband in a surprise but delighted nevertheless. Gomez was looking at her with the same startled expression before they both smiled at each other.

"I love you too."

Ivy lifted her head off Morticia's shoulder and smiled happily before her little face twisted into a disapproving frown.

"Grandmama said you didn't want to eat your food yesterday," she accused sternly, quite successfully imitating her grandmother.

"I wasn't hungry, darling," she replied softly, smoothing the little girl's hair while at the same time trying to decide whether to glare at her husband or her mother-in-law - both of whom were currently grinning at her slyly.

"You'll never get better if you don't eat," she scolded. "Grandmama said  _I'm in charge_ of making sure you eat all your food because I'm cute and you can't resist me."

Morticia turned her gaze towards Eudora who was standing next to Gomez, looking utterly unconcerned by this blatant case of emotional blackmailing.

"Mama...really."

"Sue me," she deadpanned and placed the tray with Morticia's breakfast on the bed."Enjoy your breakfast, my dear. "

* * *

During the next few days, Morticia Addams discovered that it was actually quite possible to get tired of resting. Despite the aid of Eudora's potions, her body was still taking its sweet time to recover. The stiffness and the soreness of her injuries were making it quite difficult for her to function without assistance and although she was, of course, grateful for all the help, this dependence on everyone was increasingly irritating her, that and how quickly she got tired by even the simplest of tasks. She was also surprised and a little concerned about how difficult it was for her to maintain focus for longer stretches of time; she noticed she couldn't read for a long period of time anymore and had to take brakes every twenty minutes or so for otherwise, she lost the track of what she was reading. Even her short, daily walks were still challenging and she often had to retire to her bedroom for a quick nap after her strolls. Her father, however, insisted that all was in order and her recovery was progressing as expected, she was merely being impatient.

On top of everything, Ivy found it difficult to return to the old routine - before the incident - whereas her bedtime was usually a smooth event, she now insisted on someone - usually Gomez or Eudora - to read to her until she fell asleep, but then refused to go to sleep until she was allowed to go lie down next to Morticia and only then she fell asleep within ten minutes, curled next to Morticia and Gomez had to carry her all the way back to her room. They really didn't want to make a habit of it, but Gomez didn't have as much patience as his mother or wife for that matter and often capitulated just to prevent the bedtime stretching into some unholy hours. Morticia didn't mind an extra bed companion but, although Ivy's need for reassurance was understandable considering the circumstances, her sudden clinginess was nevertheless worrisome.

"I also got my own guillotine for Christmas, did you know?" Ivy chatted from her seat at the coffee table in the parlour where she was busy coloring."I chopped all the heads off my dolls. Lumpy helped...a little."

"That's a wonderful gift, darling," Morticia praised obediently, smiling softly at the little girl.

"It is," she smiled back at her."But you know what was my absolute best ever gift?"

"No."

"Guess," Ivy prompted, pointing at her with a pink crayon.

"Hmmm," Morticia pretended to wonder."Was it a new pet?"

"No, silly," she laughed." _You_ are the greatest gift of all!"

Morticia blinked, slightly taken aback.

"Ah, aren't you a little darling?" she praised extending her arms and the little girl promptly climbed on her knees, clearly pleased with herself for making Morticia happy, and grinned when Morticia wrapped her arms around her and placed a soft kiss to her nose."You certainly have a way with words," she remarked before turning to her husband with a tender smile."Not unlike your father."

Gomez smirked and leaned towards her, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Yes! I'm a smooth-talking cad like daddy," the little girl declared proudly but frowned when both adults turned to look at her with bewildered expressions on their faces."That's what aunt Aurora calls him," she explained with a careless shrug of her bony shoulders."I don't really know what that means."

"Are you sure you're comfortable, darling?" Hester asked entering the parlour for what seemed like fifteenth time in the last twenty minutes.

As if the laborious period of recuperation was not tortuous enough, apparently someone has replaced her dear mother with a more frantic version of Donna Reed...

"Yes, mama," she answered  _again_ with all the forced serenity she could muster and watched her mother nod thoughtfully.

"Perhaps an extra blanket?"

"There's no need, really, thank you."

Another thoughtful nod.

"You look like you could use another pillow."

"Mama, I have three," she forced another kind smile and her mother  _again_  nodded thoughtfully.

"I shall go ask Lurch to get you another pillow and an extra blanket just in case," she announced and left the room before Morticia had a chance to roll her eyes.

She took a deep, exasperated breath before turning to her husband who was sitting next to her with a vastly amused expression on his face and barely concealed smirk.

"Gomez."

"Cara mia?"

"Who is she and what's she done with my mother?"

"Oh come on, it's adorable," he said, his voice already muffled by his cigar, and couldn't help but grin when his wife glared at him.

"Adorable is not a word I would use in this situation," she countered.

"She obviously wants you to experience all the motherly love she forgot to shower you with when you were a child," he replied, not even trying to hide his amusement."Enjoy it."

"I'm glad you find it hilarious," she said before punching his arm which only resulted in making him laugh."She scares me."

* * *

Morticia rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked at the bedside clock before sighing in annoyance - not even nine o'clock yet and she already felt tired enough to rest for the night. How pathetic was that?

The was a soft knock on the door and Morticia smiled softly when Aurora Addams peaked through the door.

"Are you up for a visitor?" she asked with a surprising tentativeness.

"For you always," Morticia replied.

Aurora smiled and made her way slowly towards the armchair next to the bed. Morticia couldn't help but notice that she looked incredibly tense as she sat down silently not exactly avoiding looking at Morticia but not exactly facing her either.

"Is something the matter, auntie?" Morticia prodded gently. Aurora looked at her then and Morticia was startled by how misty her eyes looked.

"I'm so sorry," Aurora whispered, squeezing Morticia's fingers lightly."I should have taken better care of you."

"No," she shook her head faintly."Don't - "

" - I should have protected you better," Aurora insisted."A witch like you...they...I should've known, I should have anticipated it. I'm really sorry, Morticia."

"You have nothing to apologise for," Morticia countered."Ultimately, it was my decision, you know that."

Aurora shrugged and looked away briefly, blinking rapidly, before turning back to her niece and cleared her throat.

"Well, you're certainly all everyone's talking about at the Council these days. I think poor Geoffrey is now terrified of you," she remarked fondly and smiled, when Morticia let out a small laugh, before adding in a more serious tone."Very few witches would be able to survive such attack, nevermind killing a demon of such power," she praised but frowned when Morticia looked away briefly as if uncomfortable with her words.

"I didn't kill it," she said finally, looking her aunt straight in the eye.

"But you did, child," the older women countered confidently."There was no trace of it when we entered the room."

"No," Morticia repeated, shaking her head."It disarmed me, I couldn't move at all. It was going to kill me,  _I thought_ it was going to kill me and then...it just left - disappeared."

"That's impossible" the older lady huffed in disbelief."It's not in the nature of a demon to show mercy."

Morticia inhaled deeply and bit her lips thoughtfully.

"If it wanted me dead, I would be dead, trust me," Morticia said slowly.

"What you're saying doesn't make an ounce of sense," Aurora remarked."It went to all that trouble, possessing a child - do you understand how dangerous that is for a demon, to get to you - only to show you mercy in the end? Impossible. Something must have happened that made it unable to kill you."

"Or unwilling."

"I don't accept that."

Morticia rubbed her forehead tiredly and gave out a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"But that's what happened," she insisted.

"That's what  _you think_  happened," Aurora insisted.

"What other explanation is there?" Morticia challenged."Why am I still here if it truly wanted me dead?"she added, unwittingly voicing the exact thoughts that have been on Aurora's mind since Ivy told her about the vultures.

"I don't know...yet," Aurora replied."But I doubt it's the tender-hearted, merciful demon."

"Maybe... maybe I'm not as dangerous to them as you think I am," she mused."And that's why it spared me."

"Haven't we've been through that before?" Aurora asked with an air of exasperation before adding pointedly:"I have seen witches with half of your capabilities being destroyed by demons, witches that didn't even come close to killing a demon."

"I know but…"

"Get some rest," the older lady said in a firm tone that told Morticia that this conversation has reached its end as the older woman slowly raised from the armchair, aiding herself with her walking stick. "No need to work yourself up over that now. You must focus on getting better."

"I'm better."

"Indeed, you look truly vivacious,"Aurora commented sarcastically."I've seen corpses in better shape than you."

"Is that an insult or a compliment, I really cannot tell," Morticia retorted and smiled when Aurora's lips curled into an amused smirk.

"Get some rest."

* * *

In the late January, a thick blanket of snow that covered the Addams estate, as well as the rest of the city, in the early hours of the morning, didn't make it particularly easy to walk through but Mabel insisted upon Morticia to keep her routine of daily strolls.

The young Mrs Addams was indeed pleased to notice that her strength was returning slowly but steadily and she no longer had a need to sleep during the day, save for an odd nap now and then, although Aurora still insisted they waited few weeks before embarking once again on her magic practice. Hence nowadays, her studies consisted of expanding her theoretical knowledge of the dark arts, occasionally interrupted by the practice of magic spells and helping Aurora with her latest project.

"Do you remember the first time you saw the snow?" Mabel mused as they made their way slowly through the Addams graveyard and Morticia nodded, her lips curling into an affectionate smile.

"When we visited you for the first time in Paris for Christmas," Morticia reminisced fondly and her aunt nodded her head, smiling softly.

"And you ran outside barefoot like a lunatic and screamed the house down."

"I was four, we never had snow back home, I didn't expect it to be so wet and cold," she defended but grinned at the memory nonetheless.

"For someone generally so quiet and demure you certainly have an impressive set of lungs," her aunt teased, making Morticia laugh softly."I'm really going to miss you in Paris," she admitted.

"You could move back to America, parents asked you so many times," Morticia pointed out, patting her aunt's hand affectionately."Mama would love to have you around permanently. We all would."

"I know," she said softly."But I like Paris."

"Me too," Morticia admitted before adding thoughtfully: "Paris was the first place I felt truly at home in - with you. You made me feel that I belonged," she said and leaned to place a soft kiss on her aunt's cold cheek and Mabel smiled tenderly, pulling her niece closer.

"You don't feel at home, Morticia?" she inquired tentatively.

"Home is where the heart is," Morticia replied instead."And my heart is with my husband. I feel very much at home."

"And yet I'm sensing a but here," her aunt prodded knowingly.

"I'm happy," she assured."I love very deeply and I'm loved in a way I have never expected to be loved. I'm beyond grateful," she continued before biting her lips thoughtfully."But I also loved my life in Paris - my friends, my school, I loved living with you" she admitted somewhat reluctantly."It wasn't an easy decision to give it all up."

"Do you regret it?"

"No, never," she replied confidently."But I'll miss Paris."

"Well, I'm glad you will," her aunt remarked softly."It makes me indeed very happy that you enjoyed your time living with an old hag like me. I certainly enjoyed having you with me."

"An old hag?" Morticia repeated in an amused tone.

"Well, I certainly feel like one lately, with my little niece getting married and all."

"You're awfully sentimental tonight," Morticia teased kindly drawing an half-embarrassed laugh out of her aunt.

"Indeed, I am," she admitted.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to walk among the graves of various relatives. It was indeed hard to imagine that mere seven months ago her life was so utterly and completely different. She could scarcely envision how she lived her life without Gomez Addams in it.

"I think he's angry with me," Morticia said suddenly in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh, nonsense, Gomez adores you," she replied instantly, not even pretending she didn't know what her niece was referring to."You gave us all quite a scare, that's all."

"No, Mabel, it's more than that," she countered insistently."I can feel it's bothering him...me...I mean not me but what I do. I don't think he realized what...what it is, what it encompasses - the practice of dark magic. Or perhaps he understood that in theory but now... I don't think he's happy with me continuing on that path."

"Did he say anything?"

"No," she admitted."But I can feel it."

Mabel nodded thoughtfully, unsure how deeply she could prod the issue.

"May I be entirely honest in my opinion?" she finally asked and Morticia thought it sounded suspiciously like a warning that she's not going to like whatever was on her aunt's mind.

"Please."

"I think, Gomez has a point," she admitted softly and raised her hand in a gesture that said she doesn't want to be interrupted when she noticed Morticia's body language change to the defensive."I think he knows  _exactly_  what the practice of the dark arts encompasses, perhaps he realizes it more than you do," she said and let her words sink in before continuing slowly."Because the truth is, what you're doing is the most dangerous kind of magic imaginable and the mastery of it does not come without sacrifices. Gomez loves you very much, he married you and, one day, he wants to have a family with you-you can't blame him if he's on defensive when he can see that the prospect of that is threatened."

"It's not threatened," Morticia countered."Why can't there be both? What stands in a way of having family and mastering the dark arts?"

"Everything," her aunt said firmly and Morticia turned to her sharply."Having a family and practising the dark arts  _on the level you aim for_  is impossible. You cannot be a good mother to your children, a mother they deserve if you can't provide them with a certainty that they'll still have a mother by the end of the day, because you want it or not  _that is_ the reality of the life you're pursuing - that's what the mastery of dark arts looks like in practice. You see, there is a reason why there aren't many dark witches - it's a life of sacrifice that we lead."

"I can't accept that," Morticia countered, shaking her head and unwittingly felt her eyes fill with angry tears."I won't accept that - I won't."

"Regardless of how you feel, my darling, that's the reality of it," Mabel remarked sagely.

"I worked  _so hard_  to get where I am today," she said in a painful whisper."And you're telling me it's all for nothing?"

"Calm down, Morticia," her aunt appeased in a firm tone."This is not what I'm saying at all."

"Then what are you saying?"

Mabel took a deep breath and stayed silent for a long stretch of time before finally turning to her niece with a soft expression on her face.

"No one is asking you to give up the practice of the dark arts but certain compromises must be made. You have a man who loves you more than you can ever know. A man for whom you and your happiness will always be of paramount importance" she started before adding pointedly."And you will be  _a fool_ to give him up for the sake of the mastery of the dark arts. Yes, the dark arts are fascinating and they may bring you great powers but they  _will never_  make you truly happy. That man there," she added fiercely pointing in the direction of the Addams mansion."That man will."

The silence that suddenly descended upon them was so overwhelming Morticia though she could hear the falling snowflakes hitting the white puff - covered ground. Once upon a time, Morticia had a great appreciation for her aunt's honesty for no matter how uncomfortable the truth might have been Mabel Frump never indulged anyone in comforting platitudes and Morticia always respected that. Now - now she wished to be surrounded by comforting platitudes, she wanted to be told that she could have it all - loving husband, a family and mastery of the dark forces, all in an equal measure. She  _wanted_ to have it all, she didn't want to compromise.

"Not what you wanted to hear?" Mabel's warm voice interrupted her contemplation as she reached to wipe the tears from Morticia's pale cheeks and Morticia's startled, surprised at the gesture - she didn't even realize she was crying.

"No," she admitted in a breathless whisper and reached to dry her cheeks."But I appreciate your honesty."

"I'm pretty certain that at this very moment you do not," her aunt countered with a soft smile before drawing Morticia into a firm hug."But you will," she added."Come on, let's go back, I'm freezing here."

When they reached the house Lurch was already waiting for them dutifully to take their outer garments. Morticia requested a tea and both ladies made their way further into the house. They were about to enter the living room when the mingle of voices interrupted their light conversation and both women stopped in their tracks, frowning at each other in confusion.

"That's simply horrifying," Gomez's concerned voice reached them.

"Indeed, I also find it quite tragic yet there's something undeniably fascinating about the whole thing," Morticia's father agreed gravely."Just think of all the misery one must endure in such circumstances, I'm quite surprised none of them developed a severe depression or even attempted suicide."

"Absolutely astounding," Gomez nodded gravely, puffing thoughtfully on his cigar."So, you're telling me that this Gilligan fellow  _never_  leaves the island?"

"Never."

"What an enticingly miserable fate, lucky dog."

"Indeed."

Morticia and Mabel stood at the entrance as if frozen, then looked at each other with confused frowns, then back at the two men sitting in the living room. They blinked slowly and repeatedly to make sure they weren't both hallucinating before Morticia turned slowly to her aunt.

"Mabel," she said, loudly enough for the two men to hear."What am I seeing?"

"Morty, for God's sake, I thought we have already told you a thousand times to stop talking about that ridiculous television show," Mabel scolded, rolling her eyes to high heavens at both her brother and Gomez who was already at his wife's side, peppering her alabaster hand with loving kisses.

Her brother turned towards her sharply, his mouth agape in outrage.

"And I have explained to you a  _million_  times this is not a mere television show," Mortimer countered in a deeply offended tone."It's a deep  _exploration of the human condition_."

* * *

She felt ridiculous.

She almost turned on her heel twice with the intention of silently returning to the bedroom.

And yet still, here she was, apprehensive, uncertain, silently deciding whether to go in or ran upstairs but running away from problems was never a good decision. Especially when she wasn't even all that certain there even was any problem to deal with.

It was simultaneously comical and an utter absurdity that she was hovering outside the library where her husband was apparently pulling an all-nighter with his latest case but she couldn't help it. As necessary and inevitable as this conversation was she still dreaded it. She dreaded it tremendously. She told herself her imagination was probably worse than the reality of it yet somehow she doubted that's going to be the case.

"Sleepless night?" she asked softly with what she hoped was an entirely nonchalant tone, finally mustering her confidence to enter the library and her lips curled into an unwitting small smirk when his head snapped up in surprise. He obviously didn't hear her approaching.

"Querida," he greeted softly and she was pleased when his eyes immediately illuminated with a sheer delight upon seeing her. She instantly realized how much she loved that about him."I thought you were asleep."

She shook her head gently and approached him slowly, silently until she was right next to him and her hand reached to caress his cheek in a familiar manner.

"Just catching up with some paperwork Alex sent me. I like working during the night," he explained and Morticia smiled tenderly when he placed a soft kiss to her hand and then pulled her gently to sit on his knees before bringing her closer to him for a loving kiss.

She surrendered gladly into the kiss, half-hoping that they will get carried away and the opportunity for the conversation will just wither away. However, sadly - she thought, that was not to be the case as she felt his body stiffen and he slowly detached his warm lips from hers.

"What is it, cara?" he asked gently before adding confidently:"Something's troubling you."

She looked at him, quite startled at his perception, how well he seemed to know her, how easily he read her and felt her heart swell with such a profound love for him, she could barely contain it.

"Are you angry with me, darling?" she asked finally deliberately dressing her words in a question even though they were laced with certainty.

"No, of course not" he countered immediately and lifted her pale hand to his lips."Why would I be angry with you, cara?"

She looked at him intently and almost gave up, almost chose to accept this lie. She didn't want to have this conversation, she longed, almost violently, to pretend there was no issue but at the same time knew that leaving things unsaid would slowly seep into their marriage like a poison and destroy them. There was no place in their marriage neither for lies nor omissions.

"Perhaps angry is not the right word," she said softly and licked her suddenly dry lips before admitting:"I...I don't know really how to start this conversation."

"You almost died,"he said suddenly, his voice seemed to her soft and fierce at the same time.

She felt a sudden and unmistakable feeling of panic and it took all her willpower not to look away from his piercing gaze.

"You promised me, I'd never lose you," he continued and she felt his grip on her hips tighten almost painfully.

"Darling…"

"And I almost lost you," he accused.

"I didn't have a choice," she defended weakly, despite herself."You know that," she added and watched his lips curl in a mirthless half-smile.

"It may be so but you  _wanted_ to do it, Morticia" he countered softly."You know you did. You chose the dark forces over me."

"No," she countered immediately, framing his face with her hands but he only smiled sadly."Gomez, I would never - "

" - will it always be like that, Morticia?" he interrupted sharply and yet still caressing her cheek gently."Will I always have to compete for your affections?"

"How can you say that?" she retorted in a painful whisper."I love you, more than anything in this world."

He tilted his head and watched her for several contemplative moments.

"Then if I asked you now to give up the dark arts for me, would you?" he asked slowly and almost smirked at the panic that so clearly settled in her eyes. He wasn't even disappointed for he knew the answer before the question left his lips or even before it was formed in his consciousness but for some unreasonable, masochistic reasons he wanted her to admit it."Had you died there, I would die with you,"he added when she remained silent."There's nothing that matters to me more than you do, nothing and  _no one_ , do you understand?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you," she pleaded in a painful whisper, resting her forehead against his.

"I won't ask you to give it up, Tish. I'd never do that," he admitted."I know how much it all means to you and your happiness means everything to me," he said and faltered, looking away from her briefly, contemplating how to continue."But I can never go through something like that again. I cannot lose you, do you understand?"

"Yes," she muttered, her vision already blurry, obstructed by the hot tears forming in her eyes.

"I will not make you choose, because frankly I'm too afraid of what the answer to that might be and I cannot imagine my life without you,"he swallowed audibly and his hand went to caress her cheek again in a tender gesture. "But it's only fair for you to know that a day might come when  _you_   _will_  have to choose...what matters to you more. And when that day comes, I want you to think what will your answer be then, Morticia."

"Don't try to make it a competition who loves whom the most," she answered instead, suddenly angry at his insinuations."What you're implying is hurtful and unfair. Do you really feel you're second best to anything in my life?"

He frowned, taken aback by her question but refused to allow her to make him feel guilty.

"Avoiding the answer is not exactly reassuring,"he retorted firmly.

Her eyes clouded again with angry tears.

"The dark forces," she started in a painful whisper."Are part of me. They're not something I can just give up."

"That's not the issue here, Morticia," he interjected softly but firmly still."The issue here is that  _you don't want_  to give it up."

"No," she admitted."I don't. "

"So... where does that leave us, cara?"

"Gomez," she whispered his name against his lips."If you asked me now to give up the dark arts I would, because there's nothing I wouldn't do for you - but," she faltered as if unsure she should continue."I'm asking you not to. I'm asking you to trust me."

"I cannot lose you, Morticia," he whispered against her lips before capturing them in a painfully tender kiss."I want to get old with you. I want us to have children, see them grow up and have their own families. I can't go on living knowing that every day you could be taken away from me."

"I will always choose you," she assured."There's nothing more valuable in my life than you, I swear, you must never doubt that," she added and sealed her promise with a firm kiss.

His hands reached to slide her robe off her shoulder and he felt her hesitating, pulling gently at the soft material to stop it from revealing her bruised skin.

"No, cara, don't do that,"he whispered prying her fingers off the silk garment."Don't...I love you, all of you...," he said between the soft kisses, pulling the black robe off her shoulders."You're so exquisite... never cover yourself from me…,"he insisted, kissing a faint burn scar near her collarbone."You're beautiful and I adore you."

She swallowed heavily at the passion in his voice and leaned into his caresses, letting him remove her nightgown and almost whimpered when he pulled her naked flesh against him and she became aware how much he desired her.

She felt him lift her and stand up, clearing the desk off of its documents and stationary in one swift move before placing her gently on top of the sleek surface and attacked her lips in an impatient, ferocious kiss, situating himself between her bare legs.  _Gods, how she missed him like this_.

She helped him disrobe without stopping their passionate kisses even for a split second and by the time he was standing before her naked, they were both shaking with their need for one another, their desperate, soft moans and breathy gasps echoing in the space around them. The tension in her body was almost unbearable and she moaned in delight when he lift her hips and slipped into her slowly, pressing his hips against hers. She could sense he was restraining himself to be gentle with her, mindful of her still healing injuries and although she wished it could be more passionate, just to feel his naked flesh against hers, to be with him that way was enough for her. Her climax hit her quickly and unexpectedly and she buried her face in the crock of his neck to drown her moans. She felt his body tense and he gritted his teeth when her inner muscles contracted around him.

"Don't," she moaned through the waves of her climax and wrapped her legs tighter around him."Don't resist, I want you...I want you to come with me," she urged and gasped when he pushed into her harder, his fingers digging into the soft swell of her hips and she knew he'll not be able to resist her any longer.

Her fingers laced into his pomaded hair tightly and she pulled him towards her closer, capturing his lips in a kiss that seemed to him almost aggressive in its tenderness.

He moaned, still relishing the feeling of her naked skin against his and in that moment - with her lips pressed firmly against his, he realized - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that even if the world came crashing down upon them - they will always have each other.

* * *

"Can you believe it!" his father raged as he now was for the last half an hour without yet telling Gomez once what it was that he was exactly raging about.

Gomez simply assumed someone snatched some business deal or other from under his dear father's nose again … or some similar insignificant thing like that so he was just half-listening to his father's complaints. In all truth, he had more important things to think about.

"The nerve of those people!"

Gomez Addams was in fact in the middle of planning the most romantic of Valentines Days for his beloved querida, which she apparently never celebrated or cared for - and neither did he - but he reckoned any occasion to shamelessly spoil his gothic enchantress was a good thing.

"Gomez, are you listening?"

Gomez looked up to see his father staring...well glaring at him in disapproval, still holding the letter that contained the reason for his latest rage fit, in his hand.

"No," he admitted without even a shadow of remorse.

"Can you just this one time stop thinking about Morticia and focus on  _my problem_ ," Salvador asked in exasperation before promptly returning to his fit of rage."I can't believe the blasted woman had done this to me!"

"Who?!" Gomez exclaimed impatiently.

"Aunt Laborcia, who else?!" his father replied in the same manner, only louder.

"Oh her," Gomez waved his hand in a dismissive manner and leaned back in his chair."Who did she kill now?"

"Herself!"

Oh, well that was actually getting interesting.

"She didn't."

"And how? With  _my_ idea - executed by a firing squad by a local gang in Thailand - she  _stole my idea_ , why that ungrateful wench," he groused."Just wait 'till mama finds out, she'll kill her herself."

"She's already dead, though."

"Well… she  _would have_  killed her if she wasn't dead already," he insisted before letting out a loud groan."I will have to come up with a completely new plan of our demise! It was so romantic, we've planned it with mama for years. All ruined because of that copycat. One cannot trust anyone these days!"

There was a loud growling sound behind them and they both turned to see one very uncomfortable - looking butler.

"What it is, Lurch?"Salvador asked with an unmistakable air of dramatic defeat and Gomez tried his utmost not to roll his eyes to high heavens.

"A visitor, Mr Addams," the butler replied cryptically and a few seconds later a skinny, blond-haired woman peeked from behind the giant.

"Hi," she smiled uneasily.

"Rebecca," Gomez said and immediately stood up, his hands suddenly prickling with apprehension. Admittedly, she's told him about her release almost two weeks ago, but he certainly didn't expect her to just show up on his doorstep.

"Didn't expect me, did you?" she asked as if reading his thoughts.

"Well, no…," he admitted before turning to his father."This is my father, Salvador Addams. Father, this is Rebecca Howard."

"Yes, we've spoken over the phone,"Salvador reminded as if she could have forgotten."It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms Howard."

"Likewise, Mr Addams," she extended her hand politely."I must say you look different to how I imagined you."

"I'm glad I could disappoint you," he grinned at her charmingly.

"Oh, I'm not disappointed at all," she assured immediately but to her surprise, his face lost its amused sparkle.

"Oh, well that's a pity," Gomez's father remarked with a seemingly genuine disappointment.

Rebecca blinked in confusion, not sure she heard him correctly.

"This is a really interesting house you have,"she remarked instead."Where's Count Dracula?"

"Oh, he hasn't visited in years,"Gomez explained with a careless wave of his hand."Ever since my father here told him that werewolves were superior creatures to vampires and shapeshifting into a bat basically meant shapeshifting into a dinner meal."

Rebecca blinked again, waiting for them to laugh or...anything really but the two of them just looked at her without an ounce of amusement on their faces.

"Why do I get a feeling that this is not a joke?" she heard herself mumble.

"Well I still stand by what I said but he got really offended, indeed," Salvador agreed." Who would have thought he's so sensitive - bless him."

"Are you two pulling my leg?"

There was about a minute of silence during which they all just stared at each other until Rebecca had an embarrassing urge to squirm.

"Maybe," Gomez deadpanned.

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically but smiled at their jest nevertheless."Where's Ivy?"

"She went shopping with Morticia and my mother, they should be back soon," Gomez explained and watched her nod faintly."May I offer you a drink?"

"I think it's too early for that."

Gomez couldn't help but smirk.

"I meant something from a range of hot beverages, tea perhaps?"

"You can brew tea?" she asked in mild disbelief.

"Why is everyone so surprised when I say that?" he muttered in annoyance and was pleased no notice that Rebecca had a good grace to look sheepish.

"You don't strike as a tea-drinker," she said with an apologetic smile.

"I'm not," he admitted with a smile of his own."But I'm told Lurch brews an excellent tea."

"All right, sure, tea would be great, thanks."

"I'll see to it,"Salvador offered."Gomez, why don't you take Ms Howard to the parlour, much more comfortable there."

* * *

This was worse than she could have ever imagined.

Rebecca sat down on the green vintage sofa and looked curiously at the various weapons displayed on the walls, similar to the ones they encountered along the short distance between the library and the parlour - during which she could swear the seemingly dead white bear carpet has  _growled_. Just what kind of madhouse was this exactly?

"You're staying in the city?"Gomez asked as he sat down in the armchair opposite and crossed his legs in that self-confident manner of his.

"At the moment, yes, I'm staying at the Plaza," she explained."I actually got a job offer - a gallery in New York, an eighteen months contract."

"That's great, congratulations," he praised and she was mildly surprised by his genuine tone.

"Thank you," she smiled."I guess that will make thing a bit easier between us...I mean, you know, with Ivy and all."

"Well, New York is certainly much closer than California," he replied noncommittally.

She narrowed her eyes, not exactly sure what to make of his remark.

"I thought you will be more pleased," she admitted.

"I'm more pleased with New York than I've been with California," he said, reaching to his breast pocket for his cigar."Eighteen months and then what?"

"I don't know," she admitted."I haven't thought about it yet."

"Not the answer I was hoping for," he said testily, but it was certainly one he expected from her.

"Gomez, look - "she started impatiently getting progressively annoyed with his tone but was interrupted by the creaky sound of the front door opening and the jovial mingle of voices that reached them.

"Daddy, come look at my new coat!" the little voice piped from the hall and Gomez smiled despite himself.

"I bet it's pink," he muttered affectionately, standing up."You're coming?"

"No," she shook her head."I want to surprise her."

Gomez nodded and exited the parlour. He actually appreciated he had the opportunity to warn Morticia of the visitor. He was sure she won't be exactly ecstatic about the guest but then neither was he.

"There you are!" his daughter exclaimed happily."Look at my new coat," she said pirouetting in front of him."Isn't it beautiful?"

"It's exactly the same as the one you had before," he teased before placing a soft kiss on Morticia's cheek.

"Noooooo, daddy you know nothing about fashion," she frowned at his accusation."This one has a fur hood!"she added, pointing to the back.

"Got everything you wanted?"

"We did, although shopping with mama is quite an experience," Morticia teased kindly.

"Grandmama tried on so many pairs of shoes she made the salesman cry," Ivy said with a vicious grin, making Gomez laugh.

"I warned you."

"Well, I didn't believe you, now I do...my legs are killing me," Morticia complained half-heartedly."I think she made us go inside every single shop."

"I merely like a good bargain," her mother-in-law explained succinctly.

"And here I thought my dear sister was the biggest shopping maniac in existence but Ophelia couldn't hold a candle to you, mama."

"Oh, stop it," Eudora interjected in a dismissive tone."You're making me blush," she added, smiling brightly at Morticia.

"Gosh, I have to sit down, my legs are  _dead_ ," Ivy declared dramatically and without waiting for anyone's reply darted straight towards the parlour, wet from the snow boots and all.

"Ivy, take off your boots first!" Eudora called after her but to no avail."This girl," she added with exasperation.

Gomez cleared his throat uncomfortably before addressing the two women in the hall.

"There's something I need to tell you," he muttered as he helped Morticia take off her cloak.

"Something's the matter, darling?" she asked with a mild concern but before Gomez could open his mouth a loud, excited shriek came from his daughter.

"Mummy!"

Morticia and Eudora turned to him with surprised, wary expressions.

"Ivy's mother is here," he deadpanned as if they were not already aware of it and, unsurprisingly, earned himself a double glare.

"Tish! Tish, come see, my mummy is here. Grandmama, come!"

* * *

Mrs Addams looked nothing like the person Rebecca imagined her to be. The way her daughter described her she expected her to look like a fairy godmother but she was nothing of the sort. She was tall, almost a head taller than Rebecca, and very slim - she carried herself with an unmistakable air of subtle elegance, poise and self-confidence. She was unearthly pale but somehow it suited her, it contrasted against her long, raven hair and blood red lipstick in a way that made her look eerily beautiful - like a precious work of art. Rebecca imagined this was the kind of woman for whom men probably just dropped on their knees before she even uttered a single word, ensnaring them with a single look and Rebeca felt instantly wary of her. She knew from experience that women like her, who knew exactly of their bewitching effect on the opposite sex, were rarely kind people and she avoided them whenever possible.

"Miss Howard," she greeted with an unexpectedly warm smile, her voice was surprisingly soft."Morticia Addams. I'm glad we can finally meet."

"Likewise," Rebecca replied after clearing her throat and shook Morticia's extended hand." Ivy's spoken so often about you," she added before turning to the older women on her left, who looked suspiciously like a witch from the book of fairy-tales she used to read to Ivy at bedtime, and smiled."Mrs Addams."

"Eudora," she insisted and shook her hand gently."What a surprise, Gomez didn't mention you were in town."

"Oh, he didn't know," she admitted, somewhat embarrassingly.

"Well, either way, it's lovely to finally meet you, my dear," Eudora smiled kindly.

"Thank you," she said, genuinely surprised by the warm welcome.

"Tishy loves me,"Ivy suddenly announced proudly before adding slyly:"She says I'm cute as a spider!"

"She's a darling,"Morticia agreed and smiled when the little girl came towards her and wrapped her arms around her legs. Morticia smoothed the little girl's hair in an affectionate gesture but didn't miss the vexed expression that briefly crossed Rebecca's face. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared and so Morticia decided to ignore it...for now.

"Do you want to see my room, mummy?"Ivy asked suddenly as if the thought just occurred to her or perhaps, Morticia thought - perceptive as the little girl was - suddenly aware of the tension in the room.

"Sure, I'd love to," Rebecca replied in a light-hearted tone that she hoped to God didn't project how relieved she was to be offered an opportunity to leave this room. Despite the tense but nevertheless warm welcome, she felt more than a little overwhelmed. They were all nice but this house...was just too much. She would gladly leave the spooky mansion, she actually couldn't wait to return to her hotel room and just digest the fact that her daughter was related to such a bunch of … extreme eccentrics- to put it mildly, who lived in a house filled with weapons on practically every corner and in which inanimate objects growled at her.

"Daddy, can mummy stay with us?" her daughter asked eagerly and Rebecca was suddenly lost for words because she was currently trying very hard not to faint at the prospect.

"But of course!" Gomez replied in his usual jovial manner before Rebecca could voice her protest, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Yay! You can sleep in my room - it's  _all_  pink," Ivy explained already dragging her mother out of the room."I painted it myself...well, aunt Ophelia helped...a little...ok a lot, - oh! You just got to meet my aunt Ophelia - she's soo cool…! And Thing, you must meet Thing first."

The trio watched the pair leave the parlour and waited until they were safely out of an earshot before Morticia turned slowly to her husband, linking her hand through his.

"Well,  _this is_  certainly a surprise,"Morticia said tentatively.

"Indeed," Gomez replied tensely."Somehow I don't think we're going to be very happy about this surprise at all."

"No," his wife agreed somberly."I don't think we will."

Eudora Addams couldn't agree more with their assessment.

* * *

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here we are, you guys - the last chapter after which there's just an epilogue left. Thank you so all so much for reading and kudos and a special thanks for all those who reviewed this story. It was a fun ride, thank you for being part of it!

**Chapter 15**

Rebecca Howard wasn't exactly sure what has she been expecting but it certainly wasn't...this. She assumed, from Ivy's stories, that Gomez's family was a little eccentric but  _this_  -  _this_ was beyond anyone's imagination. Everything and everyone here were contradictions.

Thing - the friend her daughter mentioned so fondly so many times turned out to be a decapitated hand that run around freely around the house on all fives...ehm fingers - Rebecca's brain was still trying to process that but failed each time.

This couldn't be happening to her, just couldn't.

There was also a pet lion, that somehow - even though she was aware of its existence - didn't fail to startle the heck out of her and she almost died as she watched Ivy play with the beast, half-expecting she's going to be devoured by it any moment. Speaking of devouring- she didn't even begin to process the fact that there's a meat-eating plant in the conservatory and she only has been here for half a day.

She supposed her only consolation was that the house itself, although it looked like it was going to collapse on them any moment was surprisingly sturdy - thank God.

The biggest contradictions of all were the people in this house. She had to admit that what she absolutely did not expect at all was that they all would be so...kind and welcoming. Especially, since the dinner was spent on recounting various family stories of this or that relative murdering another and deciding who done it in a better style and she refused to even think about what the hell were they actually eating because it looked like nothing she ever encountered in any of her, apparently, limited culinary experiences.

Yet, despite bizarre topics of conversation and weird food, she was actually enjoying herself - perhaps her mental health truly was questionable. She was now listening attentively to Gomez's father complaining about how he was cheated by some relative - aunt Laborcia or someone- who apparently stole his idea for a perfect death.

"You shouldn't worry so much," she found herself appeasing the older Addams."There are so many creative ways to die, I heard they chopped a guy into pieces in Mexico quite recently," she added in an attempt to cheer him up.  _Dear God Almighty, what the hell am I saying?_

"Really?" Salvador inquired happily.

"Some drug deal gone awry."

"That's inspiring!" Mr Addams grinned at her in the same charming way his son once did.

"Or you can be buried alive," Ivy pointed out between mouthfuls of her stew after maniacally jabbing the food with her fork, splashing the sauce on the table. Rebecca didn't know why it didn't surprise her that none of the other adults told her daughter off for her atrocious table manners. Everything in this bloody house seemed to be upside down and Rebecca resisted almost an overwhelming urge to bang her head against the wooden table.

"Excellent idea, paloma!" he grinned at her.

"Buried alive," Morticia mused."How romantic," she added while gazing lovingly at her husband - which, incidentally, Rebecca noticed, was how the couple looked at each other  _all the time_. Gomez, in particular, seemed to always look starstruck whenever his wife was in the nearest vicinity.

"Certainly an idea worth exploring, cara mia," Gomez replied and placed a firm kiss to her hand.

Rebecca's learnt from Gomez's mother that the couple was barely married for six months which at least explained the constant love-sick looks. After initial wariness, Rebecca sort of started to admire young Mrs Addams, she wasn't sure she would be able to show this kind of support to any man - she must have been flabbergasted by the whole Ivy situation and yet here she was and there was no doubt that her daughter adored Morticia - she still didn't know how she felt about that.

"So," Rebecca smiled at the pair, deciding that perhaps the change of conversation topic was in order."Where have you two met?"

"Ah, it was truly a magical night,"Gomez replied, again smiling at his wife.

"It was indeed," Morticia agreed.

"Harold always knew how to throw a party - you have to give him that," Salvador interjected.

"So true," Gomez laughed jovially before turning to his wife."Morticia was by far the most beautiful woman there."

"Darling," Morticia smiled appreciatively and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"No one even looked at the corpse," he added proudly.

Rebeca blinked.

_Wait. What?_

"Corpse?" she mumbled, her fork with food frozen in mid-air.

"Oh, of course," Morticia answered, linking her hand with Gomez's."We've met at the funeral of Gomez's cousin."

 _Of course,_ Rebecca thought,  _where else?_

She's decided nothing will ever surprise her anymore when her daughter grinned and piped out proudly, in her adorable, little voice:

"Daddy was still a suspect!"

* * *

Salvador Addams shifted uncomfortably in his armchair.

With the sudden appearance of Ivy's mother, the atmosphere in the whole house seemed to change abruptly and irrevocably. He wouldn't necessarily describe it as unpleasant - it was actually quite the opposite, there was no awkwardness and the conversation flowed nicely. Rebecca turned out to be quite charming and commented with interest on various pieces of art they had in the house. Ivy seemed to be hyper-excited to have everyone together in the house and was jovially showing her mother around. There was, nevertheless, an underlying tension in all of it.

His daughter-in-law, especially, seemed to feel suddenly out of place in the wife-husband-father-daughter-mother equation as if she was no longer sure what was appropriate for her when it came to her relations with Ivy. Whereas she was usually very affectionate with the little girl, now she sat a safe distance away, as if worried that her close relationship with the girl may upset Rebecca. Even though, he supposed, it was all understandable, Salvador couldn't help the sudden wave of anger that engulfed him on her behalf, how unfair it all was to Morticia. Through all the time Ivy has been with them, Morticia showed her nothing but kindness, love and affection. In his opinion, she took better care of the little girl than her own mother and Ivy loved her stepmother to bits.

He looked at Rebecca and immediately chastised himself for judging her so unfairly. Despite how their situation presented itself, he didn't have any right to discredit her - he didn't really know what kind of mother she was to Ivy and she was raising her on her own, he had to give her credit for that as well.

Ivy stifled another yawn that was trying to escape as she sat cuddled on her mother's laps.

"I think it's way past someone's bedtime," Gomez said in an amuses tone as he watched his daughter struggle to keep her eyes open.

"No daddy, bedtime is stupid," she groaned unhappily.

"So I suppose you don't want to continue with  _War and Peace_?"

"No, I didn't mean  _War and Peace_ is stupid," she corrected herself immediately."I said  _bedtime_  is stupid," she said pointedly before moaning dramatically and practically sliding off Rebecca's laps as if her body suddenly had no bones at all and went straight to Morticia.

"Daddy says we have to go to sleep,"she informed dejectedly, as if Morticia was not aware of it, despite the fact that she was sitting right next to Gomez.

"It is getting late," Morticia agreed, smiling affectionately and stood up in her usual, graceful manner when it suddenly occurred to her that perhaps she should allow Rebecca to read to Ivy instead.

Apparently, her hesitation was a bit too obvious.

"It's alright," Rebecca said immediately."No need to upset her bedtime routine."

"You're welcome to join us," she offered gently, even though such prospect was to her as appealing as eating a whole batch of her mother's fudge.

"It's fine, really," she replied somewhat uneasily."But thanks for the offer."

Morticia smiled and nodded before turning towards Ivy who, incidentally, was now splattered dramatically on the carpet face down in front of her, her eyes closed.

"Ivy, say goodnight to everyone."

"Goodnight everyone," the little girl deadpanned in a tired mumble, drawing an amused snort from her grandfather who in turn earned himself a half-hearted exasperated glare from his dear wife.

Morticia shook her head good-naturedly and gently nudged Ivy's ribs with her foot, eliciting a stifled giggle before the little girl abruptly jumped on her feet and, as per usual, ran to her grandfather first.

"Goodnight, grandpa," she hugged him and smiled when he kissed the crown of her head.

"Goodnight, paloma," he said softly and Gomez noticed him swallow heavily before he pulled the little girl closer."Have some delightful nightmares," he added and Ivy giggled.

Morticia smiled affectionately but felt an abrupt pang of sadness as she watched Ivy hug her grandmama next, then Gomez - as he placed a soft kiss to the little girl's hair. It dawned on her that this routine - this life they've created, was about to change and she couldn't help but swallow heavily at this unwelcomed reality before them.

She tried to imagine going back to those days when there was no child in this house, no responsibilities, no cares - when they had all the time in the world to just be together and she was surprised to realize how much she didn't want things to change. How much she enjoyed this life - this life that turned her meticulously crafted plans upside down, this life that was chaotic and unpredictable but also filled with such profound and unconditional love that it made all of it more than worth it.

"Tish -"

She felt the little girl tug at her dress and she looked down to her smiling face. She imagined their days devoid of this smile, their evenings without bedtime stories, no more phone calls from school informing them about yet another of Ivy's mischiefs, no more squabbling with Lumpy and she thought her own heart might shatter with misery.

"Let's go," Ivy prompted and slipped her little hand into Morticia's, squeezing it comfortingly because she thought she looked very much like she was about to cry.

* * *

" _The whole world is divided for me into two parts: one is she, and there is all happiness, hope, light; the other is where she is not, and there is dejection and darkness..."_

"Tish," Ivy whispered in a barely audible voice as they both lied next to each other on Ivy's pink bed.

Morticia stopped reading and looked down at her expectantly but the little girl seemed suddenly hesitant.

"Do you think my mummy…" Ivy started to ask but faltered immediately as if unsure what to say...or rather how to say it."I mean...it's just …"

"What is it?"Morticia prodded gently when Ivy stayed silent for a long while but the girl just shook her head.

"Nothing," she muttered and snuggled closer to Morticia."Let's just read."

"Ivy, whatever it is, you can tell me," she whispered softly, smoothing the girl's blond hair.

"It's nothing, it's stupid."

"Nothing is too stupid to tell me."

Ivy bit her lips thoughtfully but stayed silent. She wanted to tell her but then she didn't because she knew what she thought - what she wanted - was so mean and she didn't want Morticia to think she was mean.

"It's just...I just really really love you," she said instead and wrapped her arms around Morticia's neck."And I'm going to miss you very much."

"Oh, darling, I'm going to miss you too," she whispered, kissing the side of girl's head, when a thought occurred to her and she hugged the little girl closer. She had no right, she knew that it was selfish and inconsiderate. Ivy wasn't her child, she was Rebecca's, and she had no right to take her away from her mother no matter how much she loved her and how happy the little girl was here.

And yet, she couldn't think that it was all so vastly unfair. Why had Rebecca more rights to keep her than them? Why was everyone automatically assuming that a mere fact of being a mother gave one leverage? Did mothers love their children more than the fathers, were they better carers? Perhaps, in most cases it was so, but Morticia knew from her own experience that it wasn't always so simple.

Whereas she had no doubt that her mother loved them - her and Ophelia - she would rather not even begin to imagine what a disaster would it have been if Hester were to raise them as a single mother. The fact remained that it was her father who always was there for them, her father who provided them with unequivocal love and support. She remembered her mother as always being somewhere in the shadows of it all, more with her than with Ophelia but still - it was her father who was this constant, loving figure in their lives.

As a young girl, she remembered craving her mother's attention and yet feeling that her neediness irritated her. On one hand, her mother was vastly protective of her children but then she never seemed interested in spending time with them, other than taking them clothes shopping and such. When she actually did spend time with them, Morticia always got the impression that Hester was bored with their childish games. Her mother just didn't find herself in the role of the mother, she did not enjoy home life. She liked her work with various charities she was involved with, she was passionate about all those small town politics that her father always found merely amusing but saw no reason not to indulge his wife if it made her happy.

It wasn't long before the two sisters decided there was little sense in forcing their mother to be someone she clearly wasn't. It was also the reason why Morticia was always hesitant to tell her parents about the bullying she was facing, because she knew how much her mother loved her life in that small town she called home and she felt incredibly guilty when they ultimately had to move out - even though her mother never blamed her for anything. It was Hester who insisted they move away, after all, but Morticia had no doubt it wasn't as easy decision to make, to start all over again somewhere else.

Morticia knew now that motherhood was immensely difficult and it required constant sacrifices not everyone could or was willing to make, but did that make Hester a bad mother? Did that make Rebecca a bad mother? Did they love their children any less than those mothers who devoted all their hearts to their families? She would like to answer no, because her mother loved her and she loved her mother, there was no doubt about that. Yet, how many time she wished her mother was more affectionate, how many times she wished it was her mother who read her bedtime stories and how many times she told herself that when she'd have her own family, her own children - she will show them and tell them every single day how important they are, how loved?

Perhaps, she realized, it was the very reason she was so taken with the little girl from the very beginning, because there was so much of herself that Morticia saw in Ivy - the same need to be loved, the same realization that no matter how much you tried, your mother couldn't love you the way you longed for. Except, there was a very important difference for whereas Morticia always had her father and Ophelia or even Mabel, Ivy - for a long time - had no one but her mother. Was it wrong then for Morticia to give Ivy the love and attention she so clearly craved for, to be for her the kind of mother her own mother couldn't be? Did Hester resent Mabel in some way for the fact that she was so much closer to her children than she ever was or was she grateful that someone else has stepped in and done the job for her? Perhaps both.

"Ivy…"she whispered suddenly and almost instantly hated herself for what she was about to ask." Would you rather stay with us?" She knew it was manipulative and unfair, she was just a little girl. She couldn't believe when the question left her mouth, she felt ashamed and guilty for putting Ivy in this situation and she felt her little body stiffen in her arms at the question. Morticia was going to apologise and tell her to forget it, that it was wrong of her to ask, when she felt Ivy nod against her shoulder and a faint  _yes_  left her lips.

"- please don't tell my mum," she pleaded."She's gonna be sad and I don't want to make her sad."

"I promise," she whispered faintly and hugged the little girl closer, it was increasingly difficult not to choke on her own heartbreak.

She had to fix this, she thought.

Somehow.

Somehow, she had to find a way to make things right.

* * *

Rebecca squinted her eyes as she observed carefully the painting on the wall in the library.

"This is an impressive copy," she commented to Gomez who was now sitting behind his desk. "I have never seen such a faithful imitation."

"My cousin's wife is a fan of Caravaggio, it was her wedding gift for us," he said."Lithium is also an excellent documents forger. Shall you ever require such services - she's your girl," he added proudly.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," she deadpanned, trying very hard not to roll her eyes. Kooks was not enough to describe how bizarre this whole family was."Your wife," she started hesitatingly, slowly turning towards him."She's really nice. I...I didn't expect her to be... so kind."

"Morticia is always kind,"he replied, lighting his cigar. "She's probably the kindest person you'll ever meet."

"Ivy certainly seems to like her very much," she remarked and watched him puff at his cigar causally without any comment to her statement. Rebecca's never seen anyone smoking so many cigars in her life."You know you might get cancer from smoking so much," she added, pointing to the cigar in his mouth.

He grinned.

"If I'm lucky."

She smiled, despite herself, and shook her head in mock exasperation.

"It must have been very difficult for her."

"My smoking?" he asked sardonically, leaning back in his chair and watched her roll her eyes.

"You know what I mean."

"It was an adjustment - for everyone," he explained succinctly, before clearing his throat."Anyway, my accountant will come over tomorrow."

"Your accountant?"her eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

"We have to discuss the money, for Ivy I mean," he explained.

"Oh, that ...Gomez I can provide for her just fine, I don't need your money," she countered.

"The money isn't for you, it's for her," he insisted."This isn't negotiable."

She shifted uncomfortably but didn't offer any further resistance.

"Ok, fine...it's just...I'm not comfortable taking money from you," she admitted.

"Though life," he retorted sharply, swirling his brandy inside the glass."When do you want to go back to New York?"

"As soon as possible," she answered."As soon as Ivy's ready to go," she corrected herself.

She would gladly go even tomorrow. She could go even now, so she wouldn't have to watch how close her daughter was with Gomez's wife. She knew, logically - she understood, that she should be happy Ivy had a home here, that she was happy, loved and looked after. And on some level she was, but it  _hurt,_ undeniably so, to see Ivy being so close to a woman who wasn't  _her_ , who was a stranger and yet this stranger has woven her way into her daughter's heart in such a profound way she didn't know how to deal with it. Especially because she could see that the feeling was mutual, that Morticia genuinely cared for her daughter, she had no doubt about that. And that, for some incomprehensible reason, hurt too.

"We'll have to let the school know first,"he remarked tensely."She will want to say goodbye to her friends at school before she leaves,"

"Of course, we can wait a few days, it's not a problem," she agreed and watched him nod."Gomez... I know this isn't easy."

"You don't know a damn thing," he retorted somberly, taking a hearty drink of his brandy.

"I'm really trying to make this work," she exhaled tiredly."This hostile tone is totally uncalled for."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" he asked suddenly and watched her falter at the question before she gave out a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"I don't know...I just...I don't know, I didn't think about it," she admitted.

"This seems to be a running theme in your life," he remarked in a jaded tone.

"Why do you insist on being such an asshole?" she hissed, slowly losing her temper with him.

"Because I don't appreciate this attitude," he answered pointedly."What makes you think you can just show up all of a sudden and turn everything upside down?"

"What's the big deal?" she said incredulously."You didn't think you were keeping her forever, did you? She's  _my_  daughter."

"She's my daughter too," he replied sharply and she flinched at the steel laced into his voice."She has a life here - friends, family, school and you can't just come and upset everything whenever you see fit."

"My apologies," she said tartly."I didn't think it would cause any problems."

"No," he replied in kind."But you never do, do you? Whatever suits  _you_ goes and everyone else can go to hell," he added and stood up, putting his glass sharply on the smooth surface of the desk, spilling the remnants of his drink.

"Gomez - "

"- I trust you'll find your way to Ivy's room," he asked suddenly and she watched him for few seconds as if surprised at the question before finally nodding faintly."Watch out for the trap door next to her room, I'll see you in the morning, then. Goodnight," he said and, without waiting for her reply, left the library.

Rebecca stared at the vacated space for a while before finally taking a deep breath and covering her face with her hands in an exasperated gesture.

"Fuck," she whispered.

* * *

There was an undeniable tension between the two adults in the room, on this beautifully gloomy morning. Actually, Morticia corrected herself, she's never seen two people so ready to bite each other's heads off, well perhaps with the exception of Gomez and cousin Vlad, but that was beside the point. Usually she would find such prospect quite enticing or at least entertaining, however the fact that said adults were the parents of a little five-year-old girl was certainly complicating the matter - to put it mildly.

The tension seemed to penetrate her husband, when he finally joined her in the bedroom yesterday night, and she didn't know how to comfort him. She admittedly struggled to think of a solution that would keep all the parties happy. There simply was no way of resolving this without a heartbreak.

The tension wasn't lost to either of Gomez's parents who, after breakfast, quite promptly made their feeble excuses, leaving the three of them plus the little girl alone in the parlour. At that moment, Morticia wanted nothing more to join them but she could see that Gomez and Rebecca seemed to just wait for the opportunity to jump at each other's throats and she would rather be here when it happened, as she was sure it would inevitably will.

It was an interesting contradiction that her husband could preserve his calm and think logically in any area of his work, whether it was a business deal or a court case - he seemed to have an ability to focus and work on those things purposely and methodically until he arrived at the precise result he aimed for. Unfortunately, whenever things affected him on the personal level all those admirable skills and qualities seem to desert him at such an accelerated speed it was mind-boggling. He immediately became impatient, short-tempered and his manner undeniably hostile. She knew, from experience, it was incredibly difficult to get through to him when he was in such state.

The fact that Miss Howard seemed to be equally short-tempered as her husband didn't make the prospect of solving this situation particularly optimistic.

"No mummy, real witches don't wear those pointy hats," Ivy giggled at her mother's drawing."Everyone knows that."

"They don't?" Rebecca inquired, amused at the certainty in her daughter's words."What do they wear then?"

"Whatever they want," she explained simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, making her mother laugh softly.

"Since when are you such an expert on witches' wardrobe choices?" she teased, rubbing off the pointy hat from the paper nevertheless.

"Aunt Aurora told me and she knows  _everything_  because she's three-hundred years old," she answered and watched her mother raise her eyebrow sceptically."She really is, mummy, daddy said so. He said Aurora was born at the time when the last of the dinosaurs were still walking on earth, so she's basically a fossil. Isn't that right, daddy?"

Suddenly all three pairs of eyes turned towards Gomez, two of them glaring at him exasperatedly.

"It is, indeed," he deadpanned and couldn't help but grin when his wife elbowed him gently into his side.

"One wonders why you keep receiving all those whacks to the head," Morticia remarked, shaking her head in mock disapproval, but was nevertheless pleased that Ivy's comments seemed to somewhat relieve the tension in the room.

That however, unfortunately, was not meant to last.

"Are we going back to California soon, mummy?" the little girl asked suddenly with causal nonchalance, without even looking up at her mother but Morticia winced inwardly at the question, already mentally preparing herself for what's to come.

"No, not California, honey," her mother replied warily."I have rented a flat for us in New York. I have work contracted there for the next eighteen months," she explained before turning to Gomez."Perhaps, you can actually see her on weekends."

"Thanks," he replied testily, inevitably learning himself a glare from Rebecca, and felt Morticia's fingers wrap around his.

"Can I still visit daddy here as well?" Ivy asked gently, unwittingly playing with the hem of her pink, woollen skirt - a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Morticia or Ivy's mother.

"Sure, you can even come and stay here during school breaks," her mother explained and smiled kindly, smoothing Ivy's hair off the girl's face.

"I have to change school again?" she frowned and Morticia thought the little girl was about two steps away from tying her skirt into a knot she was wriggling with it so ardently.

"Well, yeah...this school is way too far for you to attend from New York, honey."

"Oh," Ivy said and swallowed audibly and looked at her father, smiling at him uneasily before turning towards her mother again."May I go play with Beezle, please?"

Rebecca blinked, surprised by the abrupt change of the topic.

"Of course you can," it was Gomez who answered, but Ivy looked at her mother uncertainty for permission and left only when Rebecca nodded and Gomez was doing his best not to get his temper in the way of this conversation but found it increasingly difficult to do so. Which apparently didn't go unnoticed by Morticia who was watching him discreetly and placed her hand on his thigh in a comforting gesture as if afraid he might pounce.

Gomez waited until his daughter was a safe distance away before turning to Rebecca.

"She doesn't want to go," he said, sharper than he intended.

"She's a little girl," Rebecca retorted in a similar manner."She doesn't know what she wants. She's just wary of another change, she's always like that when we move."

Morticia and Gomez frowned at her words but before Morticia could say anything, Gomez lashed out fiercely.

"What do you mean she's  _always_  like that, just how many times did you move with her?"

Any hope Morticia had of resolving this in a civilised manner evaporated as she observed an annoyed look cross the other woman's face.

"I don't have a nine to five job, Gomez," she said pointedly."We move when we have to, no big deal."

Morticia felt Gomez's body tense and she knew they were about two seconds away from him losing his temper and almost winced when he stood up abruptly.

"Do you make any decisions at all that are not about  _you?_ " he accused, his face clouding in anger.

"I moved to New York from California to make it  _easier_  for us," she hissed."You could at least be a little more appreciative."

"No, you moved to New York because it  _suits you_ ," he retorted sharply pointing at her in accusatory gesture."You don't give a damn what's easier for any of us as long as it's convenient for  _you_."

"It suits everyone."

"So what's next, you're going to drag my daughter around the world?" he accused.

"Go to hell," she stood up as well, almost shaking with anger."You weren't even in her life until six months ago, who are you to judge me?"

"And whose bloody fault is that?!" he hissed, his voice clouded with rage.

"Fuck you," Rebecca shouted, almost jabbing her finger in his chest and his jaw clenched with irritation at the gesture.

Morticia knew her husband would never hit a woman in his life, so she wasn't even remotely concerned for Rebecca's safety but she didn't want this situation to escalate beyond control either and, judging by their aggressive postures, they were just few moments away from a disaster.

"Calm down," she said firmly, standing next to her husband, she placed her hand over his chest and gently pushed him away to put some distance between him and Rebecca. She could feel his furious heartbeat under her palm."Both of you. This is no way no behave."

"Obviously, it's the only way," Rebecca retorted firmly but then softened her tone."If your husband insists on sitting on his high horse and act as a moral judge."

"I have every right to judge actions that affect me or my daughter," Gomez replied in a deadly tone.

"The hell you can," Rebecca spat, looking dangerously like she wanted to hit him."I could have just taken Ivy away, live with her in California and allow you to see her maybe twice a year, but  _I didn't._  I compromised."

Morticia's eyes widened at her words. She just couldn't believe what she was hearing and couldn't help the sudden wave of anger that engulfed her.

"Have you lost your bloody mind, woman?" Gomez hissed and closed his eyes pressing his fingers firmly to his forehead."Who the hell do you think you are, treating this girl as if she's a commodity?"

"Her mother, that's who."

"I'm  _her father_ , you can't threaten me…gods," he faltered and turned away from them in a sudden motion and then, with one swift move, smashed the ancient vase from the table and they all watched it shatter into pieces against the wall.

"Oh wow," Rebecca remarked sarcastically."That was  _very_ mature. Are we going to throw furniture next?"

The woman had a deathwish, Morticia decided, pure and simple. Her husband looked ready to tear her into pieces.

"Gomez," she said softly and came to stand in front of him, framing his face with her hands in a gentle gesture."Darling, calm down."

"This," he hissed."Is how the conversation looks like with her  _every single time._ "

"Oh, don't be a jerk," Rebecca retorted, rolling her eyes.

"You're the one to talk."

Rebecca turned to him sharply with every intention of replying when she caught Morticia's cold glare and the sheer intensity of it made her falter instantly and swallow any insult she was about to throw at Gomez.

"Darling, let's go for a walk," Morticia said gently and Rebecca almost laughed at the absurdity of the sentence."This is going nowhere, come on," she urged and pressed a soft kiss to his lips and watching him nod in agreement. She turned to Rebecca, with the look that warned her not to make a single further comment."Please, excuse us."

* * *

It was bitterly cold outside but he welcomed it. He was almost shaking with rage and the feeling of utter helplessness and the cold air somehow helped him to direct his attention elsewhere.

"I'm sorry," he said finally."She seems to bring out the worst in me...I ...I'm sorry you had to witness it."

"She's not an easy person to deal with," she remarked and he smirked at this diplomatic description.

"To put it mildly," he said and his lips curled into a mirthless smile."I don't know what to do, Tish."

She leaned closer to him.

"You both want what's best for your daughter," she remarked."But you obviously have different ideas of what best for her consists of, "she added and turned to look at him."She made a decision to move to New York, that will make infinitely easier for you to see your daughter."

"That's the thing, Tish,  _she_ made a decision," he retorted in an exasperated choice."She treats me like a babysitter, a father for weekends or when  _she_ feels like it," he accused."She makes a decision without consulting me or Ivy, for that matter, and what am I supposed to do? Clap my hands and be infinitely grateful? She makes decisions and I follow or I don't get to see my daughter?"

"You're right," she agreed."In everything you just said but lashing out on that woman and accusing her of being selfish will not help the situation."

"It's the truth, though."

"Regardless, it's not the way."

"I want Ivy to stay with us,"he admitted."I want her to have a home and family, not to be shuffled across the country whenever her mother feels like it,"he added and turned to her, looking at her expectantly and she realized that perhaps he wasn't entirely sure if they were on the same page.

"I want her to stay," she said and his posture relaxed visibly."Of course I want her to stay but we can't just take her away from Rebecca. Regardless of what you think of her, she  _is_ Ivy's mother and so far she's raised a well-rounded, smart and precious little girl. We have all the family support one can have and we still find it challenging at times. She's done it all on her own."

"By her own choice, Tish," he insisted stubbornly.

"She made mistakes," she agreed."But she wants what's best for her daughter."

"Does she?" he asked sardonically."If that was the case, none of it would have happened. If she wanted what's best for her she wouldn't be taking drugs, she would focus on giving that little girl a home."

"Nobody's perfect. Gomez, darling, you can't keep throwing that in her face," she insisted, placing her hands on his chest."Neither of you planned for this to happen but it happened and we have to make this work for Ivy's sake. She can't grow up thinking that her parents want to tear each other apart because of her."

He looked away from her briefly towards the house and bit his lips.

"You're right," he whispered."It's a mess of a situation, Tish."

"We'll figure something out."

He smiled softly, drawing her closer to himself, his hand sneaking behind her neck and she shivered when his cold hands touched the soft skin of her neck but leaned into him nevertheless.

"Where would I be without you, cara mia?" he mused aloud, gazing tenderly into her dark eyes.

"Still gallivanting from one seedy bar to another, I suppose," she teased lightly, smiling at him softly.

"I'm so glad I have you, querida," he whispered before capturing her lips into a tender kiss."This whole thing would be unbearable without you."

"We'll always have each other," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck."No matter what."

* * *

"What the hell do you mean, she's taking her away to New York?" Hester exclaimed, standing up from the table so abruptly she almost knocked her wine glass off it if Gomez wasn't there to catch it.

"Mama, calm down," Morticia appeased calmly. Gods, she wished her father was at home instead of on his shift at the hospital. Her mother was hardly a rational voice in...well anything really but there was simply no option of not telling her.

"Don't tell me to calm down, I am calm! Who does she think she is, showing up like that, anyway?" she asked no one in particular and Gomez couldn't help but smirk. If the situation wasn't so sombre he would gladly high-five his mother-in-law, her opinion on that matter happened to be identical to his.

"She's Ivy's mother," Ophelia supplied and her mother threw her a vicious look for daring to state this fact and Ophelia almost squirmed in her chair." What? She is."

"That doesn't give her right to just come here and take Ivy away," she insisted before turning to Gomez."Surely, you're not going to allow that woman to simply take your daughter away now, are you?"

"What else do you want me to do?" he replied, slightly annoyed by her insinuations."Start a custody battle?"

"If need be, why not?"

"Mama, this is not the way," Morticia interjected.

"Oh, but coming over here like a bloody tornado and ruining everything, is?" she challenged."Do I need to remind you why this girl ended up in your care in the first place?"

"Alright, hold a minute," Ophelia interposed."That woman may have some questionable life choices but come on now, Gomez is hardly a saint himself," she pointed out, ignoring an outraged glare her brother-in-law was currently gracing her with."If you ask me, neither of them should ever be trusted with raising children in the first place."

Gomez was about to point out how very wrong she was and what an exemplary father he was when his own darling wife suddenly remarked thoughtfully:

"You know, you might have a good point here."

Gomez turned to her with an incredulous expression on his face but his wife still had the nerve to smile at him so innocently after uttering such blasphemy.

"Why don't you just stab me in the heart, querida?"

"Later, darling," she replied, caressing his cheek lovingly, before turning again to Ophelia."But you're making an excellent point."

"I am?"

"I think I might be able to convince Rebecca that it's in everybody's best interest to leave Ivy with us."

"Excellent idea, Morticia," her mother praised in a much calmer manner."You do just that," she added before narrowing her eyes thoughtfully."How on earth are you going to do that?"

* * *

"Don't let him lick your face, it's disgusting."

"It's not disgusting, mummy," Ivy giggled, smoothing lion's thick mane."Kitty loves me."

"I don't care, it's unhygienic," she retorted sternly."I can't believe they let you play with that monster, he could swallow you in one bite."

"Eat me, Kitty!" Ivy shouted and squealed when the lion licked her across her face.

"Oh, for God's sake, Ivy, I told you to stop that," she scolded impatiently and immediately the happy giggles ceased and Ivy sat next to her stiffly.

"I'm sorry, mummy," she mumbled.

"It's ok," she replied in a softer manner and then smiled gently, smoothing Ivy's hair."I just don't like when I have to repeat myself, you know that."

"I was just playing," she defended meekly.

"Ivy," Rebecca said in an exasperated tone."This is not a pet. This is a wild animal."

"But - "

"No buts, please," she interjected biting her lips in an impatient manner before scooping Ivy onto her laps."Honey, look, in New York...I don't want you to talk to anyone about any of this weird stuff, ok?"

"What weird stuff?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"Everything that happens here," her mother insisted firmly."Not a word to anyone about decapitated hands, carnivorous plant, that weird food your grandmother serves or that your stepmother has a wild animal for a pet."

"Kitty's entirely harmless," the soft voice remarked from the direction of the door and they both turned to see Morticia leaning causally against the doorframe, her arms crossed against her chest. She tried not to smirk when Rebecca blushed with embarrassment upon seeing her. "He hates the taste of people, humans give him terrible indigestion," she added and the lion perked up instantly upon seeing his mistress and went over to her, rubbing his head against her legs and let out a soft growl when Morticia petted him behind his ears."Ivy, darling, grandmama is asking if you'd like to help her bake cookies."

"Oh, yes please!" the little girl exclaimed happily and darted from her mother's laps and out of the parlour in a flash without sparing the two women a second look.

Rebecca Howard didn't believe this cookie baking excuse for a second and looked at Morticia warily as the other woman made her way slowly towards the sofa opposite.

"I would like to speak to you, if you don't mind," Morticia started softly and Rebecca resisted an urge to roll her eyes.

This inbred politeness irritated the hell out of her. It reminded her, inevitably, of her middle - class British upbringing and she loathed the very thought of it - it reminded her of her own mother, always polite - even when she was suggesting to Rebecca she should abort her pregnancy.

No, she admitted mutely to herself, Morticia Addams was nothing like her mother. Her mother's politeness was forced and artificial and she had to admit that Morticia treated her with genuine kindness. They weren't friends and they didn't pretend any affection that wasn't there but, despite Morticia's somewhat foreboding first impression, there was always this undeniable warmth and kindness about her - she was perhaps the biggest contradiction of all the people in the house.

"Sure," Rebecca said warily.

"I want you to consider letting Ivy stay with us permanently," she said slowly and watched Rebecca's face frown in confusion.

"Why would I want to do that?" she asked incredulously.

"It's not easy to combine career with raising a little girl, especially as a single mother," she started to explain gently.

"What do you know about motherhood?" she interjected sternly.

"Perhaps nothing," Morticia replied calmly."But I care about Ivy very much and I want her to be happy."

"And you think I don't? Is that what you think of me?" Rebecca asked sardonically."That I would gladly choose a career over my daughter?"

"I have no doubt you love her very much," Morticia replied softly.

"Why do I feel there is a  _but_ coming?"

Morticia gave her a fleeting smile before continuing.

"But you also love your job and the lifestyle you've created."

"And it's a lifestyle not suitable for children?" Rebecca interjected sarcastically.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

"I want us to come up with an arrangement that's best for Ivy."

"Being with her own mother is not the best for her? You think you can do better, you think you can replace me?" she replied angrily."You've had her for six months and you think you're suddenly an expert on raising children?"

"Don't try to put words in my mouth," Morticia replied calmly."I never undermined you in front of your daughter or anyone else, and I'm not here to judge you or your life choices," she added."Ivy is happy here, you can see that. We all love her very much and she loves it here. If you want to take her away because you feel you have to, that it's your duty and you fear of being judged - "

"You're going to tell me that's not the case?" Rebecca interjected with a dry laugh."Of course I will be judged. What a sorry excuse of a mother, abandoning her child, letting her daughter's stepmother raise her instead so she could pursue her career," she paused and then added in a softer tone:" I wish I could be like you, Morticia, I tried to be like you but it's just not who I am. I'm not a motherly type, I never wanted to be a mother. She was an accident, an effect of one stupid, drunken, irresponsible night," she said firmly." But it doesn't mean I don't want to raise my own child or that I don't love her."

"I know," she said placatingly.

"Then what do you want from me, Morticia?"

"I want  _us_  to be a family."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I will not abandon my child."

"Leaving her in care of her father is not abandonment - "

"This is not how people will see it and you know it."

"Forget about people," Morticia countered insistently."We are the only people who matter here and  _we_ have to come up with a solution that works for us."

"This is a solution that works for you, Morticia, you and Gomez," Rebecca challenged."Don't tell me it isn't so."

Morticia tilted her head slightly and regarded the woman before her curiously.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked."That your happiness matters to me more than that of my husband's? It doesn't," she remarked firmly before adding in a softer tone."But your daughter's happiness and wellbeing is my priority here. And the fact is that if you're not happy then she won't be either, because you cannot have a healthy relationship if one of you have to give up who they are to make the other happy."

"I can't stand how much she loves you, ok?" she blurted out in sudden anger and Morticia blinked, taken aback."I  _know_ she'd be happy here, I'm not blind. But...it hurts...to see that she feels so much more comfortable with you than she does with me. I absolutely hate the fact that she found in you all the things I couldn't give her and I really really tried…"

"I understand," she agreed softly."But just because you don't fit into the rigid structures of what society considers perfect motherhood does not make you a bad mother, or mean that you love your child any less. You can't change who you are, you gave your daughter everything you could. Trust me, she knows that and she loves you."

Rebecca narrowed her eyes and observed the woman before her thoughtfully.

"Speaking from experience?" she asked.

"I am actually," she said and let a small smile grace her face.

Rebecca smiled back and for a moment allowed herself to consider the offer. It was tempting of course because somehow Morticia managed to hit the very core of the problem. Being a working artist wasn't as romantic as she once thought it would be. Besides the creative aspect of the job there was a lot that involved pure business and that took a lot of her time. Morticia was right, though, she  _loved_  her job, she  _loved_ her life and she tried her best to fit motherhood in all of this but she was admittedly reluctant to compromise. And why should she when Ivy was so understanding about everything, she never complained when Rebecca left her with a babysitter few nights in a row. Fine, perhaps it wasn't an idyllic childhood one can have but it certainly wasn't the worst. Far from it.

"I wish I could agree to this, Morticia," she admitted reluctantly."But I just can't…"

"Rebecca…"

"Thank you for taking care of her," she interjected softly before adding pointedly."But she's my daughter and I'm taking her with me."

* * *

Gomez always thought Morticia looked particularly cute when she was irritated. If he had a death wish he would mention it to her but he didn't so he just looked at his wife and allowed small smirk to grace his lips as she closed the door behind her a little too forcefully rather than in her usual gentle manner.

"I reckon it went less than splendidly…"he remarked causally from his place in the bed.

"She's … difficult," she admitted, leaning heavily against the door.

"Noooo," he drawled in an overly sarcastic tone."What are you talking about, she's a darling."

She laughed despite herself.

"I thought I could make her understand," she mused more to herself than to him.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, querida, she's extremely stubborn."

"Well, there's no doubt about that," she agreed before pausing suddenly and tilted her head slightly, regarding him contemplatively, her lips curled then into a teasing smile." How did you two even hook up? I must say I have never seen two more incompatible people - were you two completely drunk?"

"Yes to all of the above," he replied instantly in his usual self-deprecating manner and watched her smirk before she pushed herself off the door tiredly and made her way towards the bed.

"I don't know what else to do," she admitted as she snuggled against him.

"We could file for custody," he proposed unconvincingly, wrapping his arms around her.

"I don't want to involve courts," she admitted, tracing lazy circles against his pyjama-clad chest.

"No, neither do I," he agreed, kissing the side of her head."I don't want to put Ivy in a situation where she has to choose between us either but...she wants to stay here, it's obvious."

"I know," she murmured."There has to be a way to get through to her. Perhaps if we give her time to think it through and then approach the subject again?" she mused and felt him shrug.

"How about we get some wine, run a bath together and pretend we have no problems until tomorrow?"

"Sounds enticing," she agreed and lift herself enough to place a soft kiss to his lips. "A bath is always a good idea."

"Cara mia, any idea that involves you being naked is splendid," he said cheekily, pushing her gently onto the bed and covering her body with his own before claiming her lips in a tender kiss."I'll go get the wine, you prepare the bath?"

"Sounds like a plan," she smiled but then her expression turned serious as she framed his face with her hands."Gomez … ," she said softly and for a moment just gazed at him before finally whispering softly:" I really want her to stay with us."

He smiled at her tenderly because, despite all this heartbreak, it pleased him immensely to hear her say that.

* * *

The sharp sound of a descending blade of the guillotine filled the stuffy attic and soon another doll's head rolled over on the dusty floor.

"Where is New York?" Lumpy Addams asked curiously as he picked the headless doll from the guillotine and gave it to Ivy.

'I'm not sure,"Ivy replied, placing the doll in its little bed and putting the decapitated head right next to it, before carefully covering them with a small pink blanket."But my mum said I can come over here on weekends so it can't be that far away."

"I'm gonna miss you," the little boy blurted under his nose.

"Really?"

"Yeah, maybe...sometimes, if I have time' cause you know, I might be quite busy with my new baby brother."

The little girl huffed at his prediction.

"Maybe it's a girl," she teased."Then she can wear all my pink dresses."

Lumpy just stared at her blankly for a moment.

"I don't think I'm gonna miss you after all," he decided.

"Liar," she grinned."I wish I could have a baby, maybe I should ask daddy and Tish if they could make one for me," she mused.

"That's silly 'cos the baby would live here and you would be in New York," Lumpy pointed out."Maybe your mum can have one?"

Ivy made a face and shook her head.

"Oh, no way, my mum doesn't even like children," she countered."She only likes me."

"Really?" he asked in disbelief."But she seems so nice."

"She is nice," Ivy confirmed as she pulled arms off her doll."Except when she's upset then she shouts  _a lot_."

"My mum shouts at me sometimes, usually she just tells me I'm gonna drive her bonkers one day," he said proudly, making Ivy giggle.

"Tish never shouts at me,' she stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Yeah, she's super-kind," Lumpy agreed as he pulled the blade up again. "Why don't you speak to aunt Morticia, maybe she can speak to your mum to let you stay here."

"No, I can't do that," she shook her head vigorously.

"Why not?"he frowned." I thought you wanted to stay here."

"I do but my mum would never agree, she doesn't like it here."

"Oh, but why?"he asked, genuinely confused.

She shrugged.

"She just doesn't," she replied laconically before taking Bezzle off her head and kissing him gently."I'm gonna miss you so much."

"Are you leaving him here?" he asked in disbelief.

"I have to, my mum hates spiders, she's terrified of them," she explained, hugging the spider closer.

"Don't be silly," he laughed at the very idea."Who the heck can be afraid of spiders? They are the tiniest and cutest pets in the world."

"My mum is really afraid of them, she screams when she sees them," Ivy insisted."She says spiders are not pets."

"What?!" Lumpy widened his eyes in disbelief."What pets does she like then?"

"We had a cat once."

"Like Kitty?"

"No no, the small one...a cat cat," she elaborated and laughed when Lumpy's face twisted in disgust."She also had a puppy once but it was too much work so we gave it away."

"Well, that's just disgusting, cats...puppies...what kind of madhouse is that?"

"It's not that bad, my mum is alright...it's just…" she faltered and looked away briefly.

"It's just what?"

"It's just here…," she bit her lips in hesitation."Here it feels like home," she whispered finally."Anyway, I don't wanna talk about this anymore," she decided.

"Ok, you want to go check if there's another dead cat on a highway?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

It was ridiculously early to be up.

It was so preposterously early that even Cleopatra wasn't yet awake, her vines drawn close to the stem, her precious plant was still deep in its slumber.

It was so early even her husband wasn't up yet. In fact, no one except her seemed to be awake.

It was chilly in the conservatory and the bitter heat of her black coffee has done little to warm her up. She was wearing her husband's red velvet robe but her feet were bare and freezing but even that seemed to hardly matter today.

Today was the day with no bedtime stories, without little hugs or moaning about bedtime. The bags were packed and everyone was pretending it was okay, making plans to visit and when and how often and she loathed it all from the very core of her heart. They didn't want Ivy to go, Ivy didn't want to go and Rebecca seemed hell-bent on taking her anyway because she couldn't stand the fact that someone else was able to take better care of her daughter than her. And yet, for some incomprehensible reason, they were all agreeing to this.

"Good morning," a deep, familiar voice greeted her from the door to the conservatory."You're up early."

"Good morning, father," she answered with a soft smile."I couldn't sleep."

"No, neither could I," he admitted."Do you mind company?"

"Not at all," she replied although, in all honesty, she'd prefer a moment of solitude."Coffee?"

"Please," he smiled as he took a seat on the chair next to her."Two cups? You were expecting company?"

She laughed gently at his observation.

"No actually, a force of habit," she admitted."I never seem to have coffee alone anymore," she smiled, pouring him a cup of the black steamy liquid.

"That's a good thing I hope."

"It is," she replied and it was the truth. Although, she liked her moments of solitude, she never felt overwhelmed with the company here. Her husband, especially, seemed to have an uncanny ability to recognize the moments when she wanted to just be together, without unnecessary words. In the Addams household silence was never awkward."I've tried to speak to her," she said suddenly more to herself than to Salvador."To convince her to leave Ivy with us. I thought I could... make this work for everyone and just…," she shrugged. "This is all wrong."

"You know," he father-in-law mused in his low, thoughtful voice."That day when the social worker brought her here, I thought this whole situation had a disaster written all over it," he started slowly and turned towards her."And without you here it would have been a disaster. I have never told you that, but I'm incredibly thankful for all you've done for this family."

"Oh, father, I don't think - " she started to say, embarrassed by his kind words. She didn't think she deserved his gratitude, she didn't think she's done anything remarkable.

"No," he interrupted her firmly yet kindly still."Your love for my son and your incredible dedication, your fierce loyalty is the driving force behind this family. You showed me - all of us - that just being there for one another is enough to overcome all the challenges," he whispered."You saved this family from falling apart and I can never thank you enough for it."

"Thank you," she whispered, deeply touched by his words."It's just I feel like.. I... failed - I failed when it really mattered, father."

"No," he countered immediately."Nothing you ever did would I consider a failure. It's going to be fine, you'll see. All we have to do is to stick together as a family and everything will fall into place eventually."

"Do you really think so?"

"Oh, I have no doubt about it," he replied confidently before his lips curled into a small smile."My daughter has taught me that. I meant what I said at your wedding - I could never have imagined a better daughter or a better wife for my son."

She blinked, taken aback by his tender comment, and suddenly felt ridiculously close to tears.

"These Addams men," she whispered affectionately but then swallowed heavily."Now I know where Gomez got his dooming charms from. Your words mean a lot, though, thank you."

"No my dear," he took her hand and patted it in a tender, fatherly gesture."Thank  _you_."

She was about to smile at him and thank him for his kind words when there was a sudden outraged sound of someone choking.

"What the devil…," Gomez blurted, almost spitting the cigar from his lips, taking in the image before him."Why the hell are you holding hands with  _my_ wife... _dad,"_  he added for a good measure, knowing full-well how Salvador despised being called dad but his father only smirked and raised to his feet before leaning above Morticia and placing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head.

"All will be well," he whispered and then left the conservatory, throwing his son a self-satisfied smirk just for the hell of it.

Morticia watched as Gomez made his way towards her and she made an effort to just calmly sip her coffee, allowing only a small smile to grace her lips - she's always found her husband's sudden bursts of jealousy undeniably adorable, despite how preposterous they might be.

"What, on everything that's damned, was that about, Tish?"

* * *

"Don't forget to call me when you get to New York," Gomez reminded her daughter for what seemed like a thousandth time today as he held her in his arms and Ivy couldn't help but giggle.

"I will, daddy," she promised, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck."I will cause so much mischief in my new school they will kick me out after a week. Kelly taught me everything she knows."

"That's my girl," he praised kissing her nose in a tender gesture.

"Ivy, say goodbye to everyone and get in the car, honey," Rebecca said gently."We have to get going before it starts snowing again."

"Yes, mummy," the girl agreed reluctantly before turning towards Gomez again and smiling sadly."Bye daddy, I love you," she whispered before hugging him with all her might.

"I love you too," he replied and couldn't help when his voice almost broke with emotions. Gods, this was infinitely harder than he expected."I will miss you like hell."

"Me too."

Rebecca watched her daughter say her goodbyes to her grandparents and then felt her breath almost hitch as she approached Morticia.

"I will miss you most of all, Tish," Ivy said and immediately threw herself in her arms.

"Me too," Morticia whispered, picking the little girl up.

"You're not gonna cry are you?" Ivy asked as she lifted her head off Morticia's shoulder."'Cos you promised not to cry," she reminded her.

Morticia laughed hoarsely.

"I'm afraid I might," she said softly and drew the little girl closer again.

"I love you, Tishy, I will visit you whenever I can," she promised."Look after Bizzle for me, ok?"

"Of course I will," she promised and reached to fix Ivy's pink woolly hat."You're precious and I love you and this will always be your home," she added softly leaning forward and placing a tender kiss to her forehead before putting her back on the snowy ground.

She watched the little girl nod and give her one last smile before walking briskly towards the car and climbing onto the back seat, Lurch was already waiting for her dutifully next to the opened door.

"Thank you again for looking after her," Rebecca said tentatively."I'll call when we get home."

"Have an awful journey," Salvador smiled."I hope it's going to be truly uncomfortable."

She blinked, slightly taken aback but he was still looking at her with a sincerely kind expression on his face so she cleared her throat and returned the smile.

"Thanks...I guess."

"Call us if you need anything," Gomez's mother said."Don't feel shy."

"Sure," she replied with a smile. God she really wanted to be out of here. They were all so kind and loving it was unbearable. They only lived few hours away, for God's sake, what if she was taking her back to California - would they turn into a pile of mush? She turned towards the car and was about to enter the car when suddenly she found herself hesitating. She didn't know what the hell possessed her but before she knew it, she turned back towards them abruptly.

"Can I speak to you for a second?" she addressed Morticia and saw the other woman frown briefly in confusion.

"Of course," she said finally and, ignoring the curious looks around them, she led her back to the hall.

"Did you mean it?"Rebecca approached her slowly."What you said...you know... about wanting us to be a family, did you really mean it?"

"I did,"Morticia replied immediately, her heart was suddenly beating so hard she was quite confident Rebecca could hear it."I still do."

Rebecca regarded her hesitatingly for a moment, biting her lips in a nervous manner.

"I...I am angry and, I suppose, I'm jealous," she admitted reluctantly."Because I can see how much she loves you, how much you mean to her, how much she wants to stay here - with  _you_ , and I wish...I want her to feel like that with me and yet, I know I can't give her that. You...what you said - you were right about me," she continued and looked at the woman before her but her expression didn't change at all. There was no smug satisfaction she expected her admission to produce. "I can't … I don't  _want_  to give up my work or my lifestyle to give Ivy a home she deserves. I admit it. You - in that short time Ivy's been here - you've become a better mother to her than I ever could...or wanted,"she admitted."And I would like nothing more than hate you for it and resent you but  _I can't_ because I can see you love her too and this...this thing between the two of you is really hard for me to take, do you understand?"

"Ivy loves you very much, you're her mother and no one can ever replace you."

"I don't want her to think that I don't love her," she whispered painfully."She's my everything...I don't want her to think I'm abandoning her."

"She won't," Morticia assured and had to bite her lips to prevent them curling into a full-blown smile.

"Mummy," a small, concerned voice resonated from the direction of the door."Mummy, what's wrong, why are you crying?"

Both women turned to see a very worried-looking five-year-old and one very-confused looking Gomez Addams.

"Your mum is fine," Morticia appeased in her calm, smooth voice."It's just, we have realized that we've all made a decision about you without asking you what you wanted first and we're very sorry we did that."

"That's right," Rebecca agreed."I...we should have asked you first."

Ivy frowned, looking between the two women in confusion.

"I don't understand what the heck are you talking about."

Rebecca let out a small laugh and kneeled down in front of her daughter, so they were on the same eye-level before taking her small hands in hers.

"What we're saying is that none of us asked  _you_ where you want you live," she started and watched a brief flash of panic cross the little girl's eyes."Do you want to live with your dad or do you want to come with me to New York."

Ivy turned to her father but he looked as surprised and confused at the question as she was. If she said she wanted to stay here her mum would be sad, if she said she wanted to live with her mum, her daddy would be sad. She didn't want anyone to be sad and she didn't know how to answer.

"We all want you to be happy, that's all we care about,"her mother assured as if reading her thoughts."I will be very happy if you want to come with me," she added and could practically  _feel_  the other two adults in the room tense at her words."But I will also be happy if you choose to stay with your dad and Morticia because I can see they've taken a super good care of you and they love you very very much."

Gomez swallowed audibly and watched as Ivy practically flung herself at her mother, wrapping her skinny arms around her neck.

"I love you mummy," she said and Gomez's heart broke with disappointment, he almost forgot how to breathe and his eyes brimmed with tears even though he immediately tried to contain it.

"I'm gonna miss you so much," his daughter's voice reverberated suddenly through his misery.

"What?" he heard himself saying and all three adults turned to the little girl.

"I'm really gonna miss you," Ivy said lifting her head from her mother's shoulder and smiled at her."I want to stay with daddy please."

"Okay," Rebecca choked out. She expected this, she knew...but to actually hear it from her daughter's mouth was suddenly very difficult to take.

"Are you sad, mummy?"

"A little," she admitted."Because I'm gonna miss you so much."

"I'm gonna visit you, right daddy?"

"Definitely," he said, trying desperately to try to contain the blissful feeling of happiness that was threatening to erupt. He longed to take this beautiful witch he called his wife in his arms and tell her how wonderful she was and how he will worship her always and forever because there was no doubt in his mind that it was her doing, somehow - she managed to accomplish something he never thought was possible.

 _Thank you,_ he whispered to her inaudibly and it seems partly, it seems not enough to convey his gratitude for her but it didn't matter because he will never stop showing her how truly wonderful she was, that there was, in fact, no greater magic than her and her love for them.

* * *

Mortimer J. Frump always loved and treasured the time he spent with his family. Family was everything. Yet, at this very moment, he really tried his utmost not to roll his eyes into high heavens at his sister as he listened...actually he very hard tried  _not to listen_  to the bedtime story Mabel was telling Ivy but it hard not to because the blasted woman was conveying it in a way one would the greatest of Shakespearean sonnets.

"And then," Mabel paused dramatically."He saw her - this beautiful creature and he just fell in love with her right there and then."

"And then what happened?"the little girl prompted impatiently even though Mabel had told her this story so many times she probably knew it by heart.

"- a disaster," Mortimer muttered from behind his evening newspaper.

"Morty, stop interrupting the story," Mabel scolded."Now, where was I?"

"Daddy saw Tish at the funeral and fell madly in love with her."

"Oh, that's right...who is that beautiful enchantress, he thought, I just have to meet her,-"

"Pumpkin, don't listen to her, she's making this up."

"Morty, I swear to God, you'll interrupt  _one more time_ ," she threatened."His eyes haven't left the beautiful girl even for a second. His heart was beating furiously in his chest when they took their seats on the opposite sides of the open grave…"

"- and then Tish saw my daddy and she just swooned!"Ivy exclaimed excitedly.

"No...not yet,"she laughed.

"So what happened?"

"Their eyes meet and...they just couldn't breathe!"

"Did they die?!" she exclaimed dramatically and Mortimer couldn't help but snicker.

"Ivy, you're worse than grandpa," Mabel sighed in mock exasperation."Why don't you just let me tell the story?"

"Sorry," she grinned cheekily."Please continue please please."

"Alright, where was I?"

"Tish and daddy couldn't breathe…"

"Oh, yes. Morticia took one look into those dark, half-lidded eyes and she knew instantly that this was the man who would own her heart forever and ever," she continued passionately, ignoring her brother's painful groans."She just couldn't stop staring at him, all through the eulogy."

"Mabel, this is nauseating."

"Oh, shut up,"she scolded."The funeral was barely over when Morticia wandered away towards the vastness of the graveyard, hoping to meet the handsome stranger. And lo and behold! There he was, leaning against one of the tombstones. You bewitched me!,he exclaimed and fell to his knees before her, tell me your name so I can engrave it into my heart forever."

"And then what happened?"

"She told him her name and he took her hand and begged her to marry him," Mabel continued.

"And she said yes!"

"Yes, of course, we shall marry, she said, my heart belonged to you the moment our eyes met. And so the young couple agreed to marry as soon as possible and went to tell their families the happy news," she recounted, ignoring her brother's strangled cough. " _Everyone_  was absolutely delighted - Morty stop coughing for heaven's sake - and so the next day the two families met to celebrate the joyful occasion. Your father sat, right there on this armchair, nervously awaiting Morticia to come downstairs, so he could officially ask her father for her hand."

"Grandpa, were you excited when my daddy and Tish wanted to get married?"

" _Delighted,"_  he deadpanned, causally turning the page of his newspaper.

"Yay!" Ivy clapped excitedly, entirely missing the sarcasm in his tone.

"So when she finally appeared, Gomez just couldn't stop himself and immediately took her into his arms...he said: Cara mia,"

"He always calls her that," Ivy giggled.

"Yes, he said cara mia, you look breathtakingly beautiful, to which she blushed and replied, thank you, mon cher and then -"

"Daddy went crazy because Tish spoke French!" she exclaimed happily."And then what happened?"

"The biggest headslap of your father's life," Mortimer interjected, folding the newspaper and standing up from his armchair."And they lived happily ever after - now, let's go eat some ice cream before I lose my appetite forever," he added extending his hand towards the little girl.

"Yay!"

* * *

"Butter-fried bat wings?" Morticia read the menu with delight."Where has this place been all my life?"

"They've actually just opened it recently," he grinned at her enthusiasm.

"I think you might have discovered our favourite bistro, darling," she smiled at him.

They've made their orders and waited for the waiter to fill their glasses with the most expensive champagne in the house. Once they were alone, Gomez immediately raised his glass and waited for his wife to do the same.

"Every time I think you cannot possibly get any more amazing than you're already are, you - my darling - do something absolutely phenomenal to prove me wrong," he said."To you Mrs Addams, for making me the luckiest man on earth and showing me there's no such thing as impossible when one has the right people around."

"And to you, my wonderful husband," she said, smiling at him lovingly."For your unequivocal love and support, for loving me madly and delightfully, for always being there for me for better, for worse and for whatever lies in between."

Their glasses met with a soft clink and Gomez couldn't help but smile in the anticipation of the upcoming years he will be lucky to spend next to the love of his life.

They both looked forward to many, many years of waking up in each other's arms and they knew they will cherish and appreciate every little moment together for they were indeed incredibly lucky to have each other.

* * *

"Tired, cara mia?" he asked as they made their way across the silent hall back at the house.

"No," she shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck and immediately felt his embrace her waist."The night is still young after all and we have the house to ourselves."

"Mmmmm, indeed,"he grinned before bringing her closer for a loving kiss."As a matter of fact, I have another surprise for you."

She almost slipped twice on the slick stones, if her husband wasn't there to catch her, as he lead her down into the dungeon.

"Gomez, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"At two o'clock in the morning, down in the dungeon?"

"Indeed."

They stopped before a large metal door and he turned to her with an eager expression on his face.

"Close your eyes," he requested and she couldn't help but smile at the eagerness in his voice.

"Are you serious?" she asked in an amused voice but did as he asked. A few seconds later she heard him unbolt the door and stand behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Watch your step, there is a sharp step down,"he warned and pushed her forward gently. The aroma of wax candles, wood and something she couldn't quite distinguish hit her immediately and her face creased with curiosity as she heard Gomez lock and bolt the heavy door behind them.

"Can I open my eyes now?"

He came to stand behind her, slipping his hands to her hips before whispering a confirmation into her ear.

She couldn't help but gasp in delight at the glorious sight before her. The scent, she realized was that of new leather and she immediately felt her body grow warm in anticipation.

"Do you like it?"He asked unnecessary, tracing small, sensual circles on her hips and back.

"Oh, darling,"she said excitedly leaning into his caress."I love it."

"Only the best for you, querida,"he whispered, already undoing the buttons of her dress.

Her heart was beating so fast she thought it may actually burst. Her arms ached gloriously, the leather straps dug into the delicate skin, leaving the vicious marks on her wrists. The pain both excruciating and absolutely wondrous, it seemed to fill every particle of her being, making her unable to focus on anything other than this exquisite pleasure and  _him._

Their lovemaking has always been passionate, but this -  _this_ was beyond mere passion. She could feel the sting of his bite marks on her alabaster skin, the bruises that were already forming on her tights. This glorious darkness, the unbelievable pleasure, the complete possession of the act made her feel dazed with love and lust for him. He took the possession of her body relentlessly, driving into her so hard she couldn't help but cry with ecstasy.

"Mine,"he rasped as he drove into her again, digging his fingers into the soft swell of her hips hard enough to make sure he left his marks on her, delighting in her moans of pain and unbridled passion."You...belong...to me," He gritted his teeth, pushing into her harder yet resisting succumbing to his own release, even though her inner muscles were contracting around him so fiercely he almost gave up. He felt her getting progressively weaker in his arms from the sheer amount of times he took her this night and made her reach the most glorious, the darkest of pleasures. She was so enchantingly beautiful as she cried out his name and arched her body against him in ecstasy and he delighted in the marks of passion he left on her glorious body. He felt her inner muscles squeeze around him again and he couldn't hold on any longer. His release when it came, was so overwhelming and powerful in its intensity he nearly screamed, and he pulled her to his own body so close until they felt like one.

When he finally united her, her whole body was weak and shaking from the aftermath of such intense pleasure. He continued to hold her firmly in his arms and they gazed at each other in awe, their breathing still erratic, hearts beating wildly, both realizing that this was the beginning of something entirely new between them - excruciatingly stronger than lust, more powerful than magic and more beautiful than love. Love was not enough to describe the magnitude and intensity of their feelings. This was hungrier, darker, more sinister and yet infinitely holier and more complete than anything they have ever experienced.

It was at that moment that she finally realized - she knew, with a blissful, unequivocal certainty - what he probably knew from the very beginning - she belonged to him and he belonged to her in a way that was incomprehensible to anyone except the two of them. Nothing existed beyond the bounds of their relationship. They existed together or not at all and they will live and die together because they were bound to each other inseparably and infinitely.

"I love you," she whispered breathlessly.

"I love you, querida," he replied in kind."Forever."

THE END

(Well, except for a short epilogue)


	16. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It turns out I'm going to be away next week, so I decided to go ahead and post the epilogue. Thank you all so much for your support, I'm glad you all enjoyed the story.
> 
> Also, warning, there is a time jump in the epilogue.

**Epilogue**

Funerals.

Life and death mingle at funerals.

If their life was a novel, it could be said that they came into a full narrative circle. It was at the funeral of his dear cousin Balthazaar seven years ago, after all, that his life changed violently and irrevocably. Seven glorious years since he first laid his eyes on his beautiful enchantress, this amazing creature that he'll happily spend the rest of his life worshipping.

Admittedly, they had some rocky moments and their fair share of arguments but even those Gomez Addams learnt to treasure. Undeniably, as difficult as those moments might have been, they still helped them grow - as people and as a couple - and despite those challenges, he could never think of anyone better, more wonderful or more amazing to share his life with than this beautiful witch at his side.

"This death look really suits her,"Morticia commented softly as she then bent down gently to put a single thorny rose stem next to the corpse.

"Indeed, she rocks it,"her husband confirmed affectionately turning to the baby in his arms."Isn't she, little pup?"

"Murder!"An eighteenth-months-old Pugsley Addams exclaimed happily, grinning at his father.

"If only,"Gomez replied."Who would have thought this old bat would die of natural causes."

"She was so mad about it,"Morticia reminisced fondly.

At the proud age of a hundred-and-eleven, Aurora Addams finally succumbed into the death's glorious embrace and she complained ardently what an embarrassment it was for an Addams to simply die of old age.

" _Imagine that," the old lady groused weakly to Morticia, as she was lying in her bed."After so many years of exciting near-death experiences, I'm going to die in my own bed like a wimp."_

" _Oh, but auntie, think of all those gloriously gruesome moments you've witnessed, "Morticia placated, holding Aurora's frail hand."Russian Revolution, two World Wars, so much death, so much misery - may we all be so lucky."_

" _Hmmm, I suppose you're right,"she agreed and closed her eyes briefly."One should always look at the dark sides of life and be grateful."_

" _That's the spirit,"Morticia smiled at her and placed a soft kiss on the back of Aurora's hand, making the older lady smile affectionately._

" _I'm...I'm very proud of you, Morticia,"she whispered and Morticia could see she was getting progressively weaker."And I love you very much."_

" _I love you too... but don't you go soft on me now,"She joked but felt her throat constrict and her gut tighten. Somehow she felt very sure that they won't have any more moments like this and felt her eyes prickle with tears._

_The old lady smiled weakly and lifted her right hand slowly before removing a large silver ring with a black cross in the middle from her finger._

" _It was given to me by my grandmother when I was sixteen and she was a magnificent witch,"she reminisced fondly."I never took it off, not once," she added before placing the ring into Morticia's palm."I want you to have it."_

_Morticia looked at the ring and smiled softly at the older woman._

" _A mere thank you is not enough to express how grateful I am for you, for all you've done for me," she said, slipping the silver jewel on her right, middle finger."It's so beautiful, I shall treasure it, always."_

" _Hmmm, who's getting soft now?" Aurora teased and her gaze came to rest at Morticia's heavily pregnant belly."This baby," she said slowly."It's a girl."_

" _I'm going to name her after you, then, "Morticia smiled at her, caressing her stomach gently, beaming at the revelation._

" _You do that and I will come back and haunt you," Aurora threatened sternly."What kind of village idiot names their child Aurora? I always hated it. Your daughter will be a magnificent witch, deadly and full of woe and you should name her accordingly."_

_Morticia laughed softly at her prediction and squeezed Aurora's hand tighter._

" _You know, there is this ridiculous rhyme Ivy's learnt once at the kindergarten,"Morticia said fondly."It goes something like_ _Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe…"_

" _Wednesday," the older lady repeated slowly, tasting the word on her tongue."Yes, I think I like it. Wednesday."_

" _She shall be Wednesday, then, "Morticia promised and smiled at the prospect. A daughter."You should rest, auntie," she said getting ready to rise from the bed, but Aurora's hand closed around hers in a firm grip._

" _Don't go yet," she whispered."Stay with me a while longer."_

_Morticia swallowed heavily and nodded at her._

" _As long as you want," she promised softly and placed a tender kiss to Aurora's hand._

"-mama!"

Morticia blinked as the sound of her son's voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned her husband and son, smiling at them brilliantly. She caressed her baby's bald head before placing a soft kiss on his forehead and Pugsley squealed happily.

"I'm really going to miss her,"she whispered hoarsely, resting her head on Gomez's shoulder and felt his strong arm embrace her comfortingly.

"She was quite something,"he commented wistfully.

"She certainly was,"Morticia agreed with a gentle laugh.

"But think of all the fun she'll have with all those dark forces on their hellish crusade."

"Mmmm, you're so right, darling,"she agreed.'I'm being very selfish."

There was a sudden outraged scream behind them and they all turned in the direction of the mansion.

"IVY ADDAMS YOU'RE SOOOO DEAD, WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PET TARANTULA!?"

They both smiled affectionately as they watched Ivy make a wild run in the direction of the swamp, Lumpy Addams hot on her heels.

"Real men are not afraid of pink, Lumpy!"She shouted with a vicious laugh.

"I'll kill you, you psychotic, pink maniac!"

"Space out the fun, boy, we're already at the funeral!"

"Just as well! Easier to bury you!"

"Daddy, help me!" she screamed.

Gomez shook his head good-naturedly at his daughter's antics. Depressingly, Ivy's maniacal love for pink only intensified with age. Now, almost thirteen, she was even sporting a very vivid pink haircut and she was a curious mixture of hopelessly fluffy pink tendencies entwined with the most delightful knack for designing torture devices and caring for poisonous animals. They couldn't decide whether to be incredibly proud or morbidly horrified. They ultimately settled on both options.

"Gomez -"

They both tensed and turned around abruptly towards the owner of the voice and were faced with no other than -

"Vlad,"Gomez greeted coldly.

"Vad,"Pugsley repeated before smiling at his father."Murder!"

Gomez's lips curled into a proud smile and he kissed the boy's head fondly, before giving him a cigar.

Vladimir Addams smiled uncomfortably before his eyes rested on Pugsley who was now happily chewing at his father's cigar.

"That your little boy?"

"No,"Gomez replied tartly."We borrowed him."

Vlad smirked and lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"He's cute,"he commented."Reminds me of Fester."

"What do you want?"Gomez asked testily.

Vlad licked his lips self-consciously and smoothed his black hair in a nervous, self-conscious gesture.

"To apologize,"he said finally."For everything."

Gomez and Morticia looked at each other in an unconcealed bemusement before turning back towards Vladimir Addams.

"Surely, you're jesting,"Gomez commented sardonically.

"Look, I  _know_  sorry is a measly way to make up for my behaviour,"he started and they were genuinely startled at the sincerity in his voice."I  _am_ really sorry, I was an inexcusable bastard. I blamed you for what was nobody's fault but my own, I realize that now,"he said and turned towards Morticia."I more than deserved that bottle in the head. In retrospect, I owe you not only my apologies but also my sincere thanks. That whack in the head really helped clear thing out,"he added with a small smile and Morticia couldn't help but smile back at his gentle jest.

"You're welcome,"she said."I'm glad I could help, but don't ever try that again."

"I won't, I promise,"he replied before turning to his cousin."You have a real treasure there, cousin,"he said gently."Hold on to her."

Neither of them replied. They watched Vlad make his way to the mansion where a dark, slim woman was already waiting for him by the conservatory.

"Gomez, do you see what I see?"She asked slowly, digging her vermilion nails into his arm.

"Is that - "

"Dalia,"Morticia confirmed, before letting out a disbelieving laugh."Well, no wonder she was so bloody secretive about this new romance."

Next to her, Gomez laughed heartily.

Seven years since he met this beautiful enchantress and not a day passed without him waking up and thinking how incredibly lucky they were to have each other.

"Witches,"he commented knowingly and looked at his wife tenderly."Who can resist you?"

His wife smiled and him adoringly, placing her hand protectively over her pregnant belly before leaning towards him for a loving kiss.

Seven years and nine honeymoons later and they were still falling in love with each other every day a little bit more.

FINI

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always welcomed!


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